You and Me, Plus Two?
by C-Wolfeh
Summary: Based off the G1 continuity. Wheeljack is at it again but this time he's done something rather..unexpected and it's going to send all the Autobots through a loop. Warning: Slash!
1. In which a new project is revealed

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 1/?**  
Authors:** CWolfeh and Cloud**  
Rating:** PG (For now)**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, Ocs**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning and then Slash. Nothing else as of right now.**  
Summary:** When Wheeljack was excited, it meant one better be prepared for anything.**  
Author's Notes:**  
Hi there! BD Well, this story spawns out of a roleplay that my fiancee and I are currently doing so the story in itself may seem a little choppy here and there. I did my best to clean it up and all that jazz but please bear with me as there may have been things I missed. If I do catch something, I will edit so, essentially, this is a project that is constantly going to be edited and cleaned up as we go.

There are OCs involved, one of mine and one of her's, but they're just lil' sparklings so please don't hate. D:

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

---

"Ratch'! Ratch'!"

The doors to the med lab slid open with a hiss as Wheeljack practically stumbled in due to his excitement over...Primus only knew what, the inventor's fins flashing with delight. The chief medical officer was buried in his work and startled, standing up straight as Wheeljack looked around for him, not seeing Ratchet right away.

"Ya' in here???"

"What now, 'Jack?" he asked, catching said mech's attention as he set aside the tool in his servo. The inventor beelined for his friend, slinging a servo around his shoulders once close enough, fins lit up brightly, oblivious to the fact that Ratchet was looking more and more nervous with each nanokilk that passed.

"I'm finally finished! Ya' know that project that I've been workin' on for, Primus, I don't even know how long it's been. Feels like forever but, hey, I mean, I lock myself in my lab all the time so this time really isn't all that different I guess!" Wheeljack rambled, a light chuckle following his words, the inventor started to loose the original topic.

"Which project?" Ratchet asked, arching an optic rim and interrupting the excitable mech's Wheeljack had something he was excited about, it hardly ever ended well for anyone else. And the fact that he'd finished something- "It's not more dinobots, is it?"

"Better!" he said immediately, back on topic now as he pulled Ratchet around so he could rest his servos on the med-bot's shoulders, once more oblivious to the look in the CMO's optics.

Better than the dinobots? Ratchet was already calculating in his processor all the repairs he was going to have to do after whatever this was was over.

"Ten times better!" Wheeljack continued, pulling Ratchet out of his thoughts. "This is my greatest creation yet! Ya' have to see it, Ratch! It's amazing! It's incredible! It's..It's...Just come see!" Before the other could protest Wheeljack was tugging him towards the doors and against his better judgment, the medic followed along, giving a reluctant sigh through his vents.

"Alright, 'Jack, I'm coming. Show me what you created."

Fins still flashing the inventor maneuvered his friend into the lab, babbling on and on about how happy he was and whatnot, fueling the fires of Ratchet's nervousness as the doors hissing shut behind them. Wheeljack immediately slipped away from the CMO and disappeared into one of the side rooms, fins brighter than Ratchet had ever seen them before.

"Just wait right there!" he called back, the sounds of tools hitting the ground echoing from where he had disappeared. It only took a few minutes before he was back, the inventory leading a....sparkling?...by the servo. "Ratch! Meet Velocity!"

Needless to say, describing Ratchet's reaction by saying 'surprised' was an understatement.

Usually when Wheeljack built another bot, it was a full-grown mech, like the dino bots and the protecto-bots. But this...

"Jack... Where did you find him?" Ratchet asked, stepping slowly towards the little one and bending down a bit to get a closer look at him. In response, the sparkling scooted behind his creator's legs, staring at the strange new mech with wonder in his optics. Wheeljack smiled gently, servo letting Velocity's go to rest on top of his head before he focused his attention on Ratchet, optics bright.

"I made him of course!" the inventor said happily, fins flashing brightly. "Building the form wasn't that hard at all! I had plenty of spare parts lyin' around. It was bringing him to life that was the tricky part!"

It took a moment for Ratchet's processor to catch up the idea as it kicked into overdrive, his optics narrowing the slightest bit in a questioning, confused sort of manner.

"Jack, you can't just make something like this. He's a sparkling, he's going to be dependent on you. What do you think will happen when you lose interest and move on to something else?" the medic asked, crouching down now to hold out a servo to the little bot, who didn't seem interested in moving at all from his protected spot behind Wheeljack. The inventor visible slumped a bit, a cross between upset and offended as he looked down and back at the little bot.

"I'm not gonna get bored of him, Ratchet. I wouldn't have made him if I didn't want a sparkling of my own," he said softly, gazing at Velocity with fondness clear on his faceplate. The sight made Ratchet let out a sigh, finding it hard to scold Wheeljack this time around which was odd in itself considering the severity of the whole situation.

"Jack... You can barely take care of yourself half the time. You lock yourself away in your lab and don't come out for cycles. And you don't even have a sparkmate to help you share the responsibility."

Flinching some Wheeljack seemed to shrink back a bit, nudging Velocity back gently.

"I just...I guess I was lonely is all. Like ya' said, I'm always doin' this and that but maybe..for once I just want to do somethin' like other bots." Turning around finally the inventor knelt down and scooped Velocity up, cradling the little sparkling close to his spark as he faced Ratchet once more. "Is that so wrong, Ratch?" he murmured, stroking digits along Velocity's faceplate.

"But this isn't like the other bots, Jack," Ratchet said softly, yet slightly reprimanding. He stood and reached out, offering to take Velocity, a gentle expression on his face so as not to scare the little bot, who had immediately curled up in his father's servos against his spark. "You know I have to report this to Prime."

"Ratch I--" Wheeljack stopped himself, knowing that Prime had to be told, one way or another. Instant fear gripped the inventory though, optics on his sparkling before he moved a bit closer to Ratchet and held the little one out. A few soft clicks escaped the inventor in a reassuring manner, trying to keep the little bot from freaking out as he was handed off to the bot that was, essentially a stranger. There was also a bit of hesitation of Wheeljack's part, the inventor unable to meet his friend's gaze as he cleared his vocal processor a bit, spark fluttering.

It was almost as if he were hiding something.

"Vreep," Velocity chirped in response, looking to his father then the other mech before hesitantly reaching out to Ratchet. Ratchet took him gently and pulled him close, expression softening as Velocity curled up close to his spark casing, optics offlining as he let out a happy chirp. The CMO looked down at the little one with a bit of a confused expression as something in his spark seemed to almost...reach out to the sparkling, staring down at Velocity before looking to Wheeljack. "What-....?"

The inventor's optics were everywhere but on Ratchet, fins flashing nervously as he moved over towards his work bench and started busying himself with cleaning up.

"Need to get this place safe for a lil sparkling. Can't have him gettin' hurt or anythin' like that," he muttered, accidentally dropping some tools and cursing faintly with a sigh, bending down to pick them up.

"Wheeljack," the medic said steadily in a firm tone. "Why does his spark resonate with mine?" Wheeljack froze where he was, fins diming as he slowly glanced over at Ratchet.

"...Because his spark...comes from yours..and mine."

If Ratchet's optics could have gotten any larger, they would have taken over his faceplate at that moment.

"Explain yourself," he demanded after a moment, his harsh tone startling Velocity, who began to whimper. Instantly Wheeljack was up and in front of ratchet, reaching for Velocity as the little bot began to whimper.

"Shh, little one, it's alright, it's alright!" he urged gently, servos cradling the sparkling. "Ratch I....Ya' wouldn't understand."

"Then make me understand," he said with a slight glare, his tone remaining the same as he willingly gave up the sparkling. Wheeljack flinched and held Velocity closer, fins not even lit now as he edged away from Ratchet.

"....I didn't think...I wasn't thinkin' but I....you're...the one bot that I'd want to have a sparkling with..and I--I was just so lonely that I..." Wheeljack was starting to ramble, to stumble over himself as his form began to shake a bit, arms curling around the sparkling a bit tighter though a squeak from the little one kept him from squeezing too hard. It was clear that anger was starting to get the better of the CMO but, remembering himself, Ratchet turned away, taking a deep intake through his vents and unclenching his servos.

"Wheeljack..." He paused again before finally turning around, his expression a little lost. "I... You could have asked my permission," he finally grumbled, moving to close the space between them and wrap his servos around the inventor, keeping the sparkling between them. He was still upset, very much so, but...what was done was done. So he opted for a gentler approach, not wanting to scare the sparkling or hurt Wheeljack in any real way.

The inventor was still a close friend after all, crazing doings or not.

The last thing he had been expecting was for Ratchet to embrace him so when it happened the inventor jerked slightly, processor lifting as he met the med-bot's gaze.

"...I'm sorry, Ratch. I really am. I just...I just wanted a sparkling and I...." His vocal processor choked up on him a bit as he looked back down at Velocity, leaning into Ratchet. "I guess even I get lost sometimes."

"You always get lost, Jack," Ratchet murmured jokingly, optics falling on Velocity who was watching them both curiously, slightly frightened from before. "I think it's time we had a serious talk."

"...Alright," Wheeljack said softly, fins flashing just a bit. For a moment he went quiet, a faint clicking sounding from the inventor before he slowly looked at the CMO again. "....There's something else I need to show ya' though, Ratch."

"Jack," Ratchet said dangerously, pulling away and giving his partner a stern glare.

Wheeljack only acted like this when he was hiding something...

"Tell me you didn't..."

Gently handing Velocity to Ratchet again, the inventory slipped into the side room again, silence following in his wake. It took him a bit longer to return this time but when he did, there was another small frame cradled in his arms but this one...this one was much different than Velocity, much less animated one could say.

"How many, Jack?" Ratchet asked before the other mech could say a word, shifting Velocity into one servo and lifting the other to pinch the bridge of his nose between his digits, offlining his optics.

"Just these two...only Velocity has your spark though, Ratch," he said softly, optics on the little frame in his arms. It was a mess of black and brown unlike Velocity's silver and white, a mask much like Wheeljack's covering his vocal processor and a glowing red visor obscuring his optics. "...They're twins...sorta."

"Is he functional?" Ratchet asked, dropping his servo back to Velocity and looking curiously at the other frame. He noted a puff of steam rise from it, and he blinked, tensing and turning slightly as if shielding Velocity.

"Did it explode?" Wheeljack couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he shook his processor.

"No, he's just different is all. I tried somethin' new...tried to make a bot that would function more efficiently...thats where lil Steam Rider came in."

"Steam Rider? I suppose its systems use steam, then?" He asked, inclining his head a bit, slightly curious but still put off by everything, an edge still lingering in his voice.

"Ya', you'd be right to think that. A mix of steam and Energon, moreso steam than anythin' else though," he explain, lifting the little sparkling a bit at the same time that he leaned down, touching foreheads with the little bot who made a faint little noise.

"I'm going to need to examine them both."

"I figured as much, Ratch."

"And his spark. You said it wasn't mine so is it only yours?" Ratchet pressed, motioning with his head for Wheeljack to follow him back to the med bay with the sparklings. Velocity, who had heard his brother's little noise, was scrambling around with indignant squeaks, trying to peer over the much larger mech's shoulder. The CMO adjust his hold on the tiny bot, pushing him up a bit so he could see back, Velocity calming as he caught sight of both his creator and brother. Wheeljack's optics softened and the little sparkling in his arms shifted slightly, peering over towards the pair in front of them.

"Sorta...he...his spark is different too. He's not made from another bot's spark at all."

"Oh?" This definitely caught the med-bot's attention, and he glanced over his shoulder where Velocity was peering at the steam-powered sparkling. "You're definitely going to have to explain this one to me."

"I will, I promise," he said with a nod, following Ratchet into the med lab. Steam Rider seemed a little more aware of things now as his processor turned this way and that, a faint noise escaping him as he snuggled close to Wheeljack's spark. "Where do ya' want um?"

"Over here," he ordered as he set Velocity down on a repair table, the little bot starting to whine as he made grabby servos for his parent spark, not wanting to be left alone right now. In the mean time, Ratchet had moved away from the table to gather the tools he would need for the examinations. Seeing the impending tantrum Wheeljack hurried over and gently set Steam Rider down, the little black bot tilting his processor at Velocity. He was almost like a doll without strings though his movements were fairly fluid in most ways, the sparkling hesitating a moment before moving over to his 'twin'. Velocity chirped happily, scooting over to close the space between himself and Steam Rider, wrapping his arms around his brother with a sloppy grin on his faceplate. The darker colored sparkling made a faint cooing sound, leaning into his brother, servos staying at his sides as his visor began to glow a bit brighter.

"Ratch, this isn't gonna take long is it? They both need to recharge soon."

"You shoulda thought of that before you brought them to me. They need full examinations," Ratchet said sternly, gathering the last of his tools and returning to the sparklings to begin. Tossing the med-bot a sheepish sort of look, Wheeljack sighed and moved to help.

"Alright, alright, I'm sure they'll be fine. If they start gettin' upset though, I'm takin' them to berth."

"I've dealt with unhappy sparklings before, I doubt these two could be any more unbearable," he mumbled as he began with Velocity, knowing he'd be the easier of the two while letting Steam Rider get accustomed to his presence. Said sparkling was watching Ratchet with fascination, processor cocked to the side still, servos in his lap.

"You'd be surprised," Wheeljack muttered, a fond look crossing his faceplate as he reached out and touched first Velocity's processor then Steam Rider's.

As the examination progressed, Velocity kept trying to grab hold of Ratchet's servos and tools, trying to turn them over to look at them curiously. Ratchet, for his part, was being very patient, gently pushing Velocity's servos away, scolding him gently for getting in the way, and moving along as quickly and efficiently as he could. The inventor tried not to laugh at his sparkling's antics, helping where he could but otherwise just standing by like a protective creator, doing his best to keep either of the sparklings from trying to bolt. Finally it came to Steam Rider's turn after the silver mechling was given a clean bill of health, the medic extended a servo to him, allowing the odd little mech to have the first move.

"Hey there, Steam Rider," he greeted softly. Peering up at Ratchet from behind his visor, the little bot hesitated for a long moment before he squeaked softly in greeting, attempting to lift a servo to take a hold of Ratchet's only to have his arm drop right back into his lap.

"Oh little one!" Wheeljack murmured, moving in and helping the little sparkling a bit until his servo was resting in Ratchet's. "There you go!" Giving a worried frown to the little one, Ratchet glanced up at Wheeljack.

"Take Velocity to berth. I'll get Steam Rider to sleep and we'll see what improvements we can make," he said softly, reaching out to stroke Steam Rider's helm crest gently. It was clear that Wheeljack was hesitant to leave, looking from Ratchet to Steam Rider and back again before he finally nodded and moved to pick Velocity up. The little bot crawled happily into Wheeljack's arms, purring softly as he curled up, optics already dimming in exhaustion.

"Come little one," he murmured, nuzzling the little one gently before he left the med lab, leaving Steam Rider with Ratchet, the little sparkling leaning into the med-bot's embrace. Seeing that his touch was accepted, Ratchet scooped the little mechling up in his arms, adjusting him how he assumed he would be most comfortable, rocking him gently.

"Rest now," he cooed. Staring up at Ratchet, Steam Rider's visor flickered some as he slowly rested against Ratchet's chassis, arms settled in his lap as he blew out a breath of steam. "There we are... Just let yourself drift of," he said softly, pacing a bit as he rocked the sparkling. After a few moments, he began to hum softly, just a gentle noise to facilitate recharge, a move that seemed to work as the visor flickered more and more until it began to dim as Steam Rider began to slip into recharge. He snuggled closer to Ratchet's spark, managing to lift a servo and let it flop against the med-bot's spark case, little digits curling into a fist as he drifted off.

-

Taking Velocity back to the lab, Wheeljack navigated into the back room that served as his berth and now a berth for the twins, the inventor clicking and whistling at the little bot. Clicking twice in return followed by a soft, low whistle, Velocity reached out and took hold of his creator's audio fins, giggling gleefully, the inventor echoing the sound as he sank down onto the edge of his berth

"Well aren't you just about the most lovable thing ever?" Wheeljack cooed, laughter still in his voice, the inventor keeping his head ducked low so Velocity could hang on. A gurgling noise escaped the silver and white sparkling, and after a moment, he finally withdrew his servos, curling them up against himself. His optics offlined as he heaved through his vents something akin to a sigh, and they never bothered to online again as the little one entered sleep mode. Holding Velocity for just a bit longer Wheeljack finally turned to rest the sparkling on his berth, making sure he was safe and secure with no risk of falling off before he stood and exited the room, glancing back several times before he was actually out the door and back into the lab itself.

"Tungsten, keep an eye on him for me," he said as he passed the little drone, receiving a 'Meep meep!' in response before he was on his way back to the med lab, passing by a few bots whom he said quick hellos to but otherwise just kept moving.

-

With the sparkling in his care finally in recharge, Ratchet set him gently down on the exam table, sighing softly before examining his seams, seeing how best to open him. It was definitely one of Wheeljack's more unique designs, Ratchet having never seen anything like the little bot before, digits carefully stroking here and there as he examined the little one in full. He almost didn't notice the inventor's return, tossing a quick glance at him as he caught movement out of the corner of his optics, the inventor absently wringing his servos as Ratchet nodded to him in greeting.

"Need some help, Ratch'?"

"Open him up for me?" Ratchet asked in a hushed tone, trying to keep from waking the mechling. "I want to see his inner workings, if you don't mind." Nodding the inventor moved around the table opposite Ratchet now, reaching forward to gently undo the little one's spark case and chassis cover. The interworkings of the little bot were revealed then and, in place of a normal spark, there seemed to be a combination of steam and Energon that made something of a spark all its own. It pulsed just like a normal spark would but it was clear just by looking at it that it was not something the AllSpark or two bots could have made.

No, it was something unlike anything Ratchet had ever seen before. Wheeljack had certainly gone above and beyond.

Gears were also present, clockwork style gears at that, keeping the sparkling alive and well, internal processes all run off the gears which were fueled, in a sense, by the steam flowing through the veins that, on any other mech, would have been filled with Energon. It was definitely a sight and it took Ratchet a moment to get used to what he was seeing as Wheeljack looked down at his creation, his sparkling, with a proud glint in his optics.

"He'll get stronger once the steam fills up everythin'. He was just brought online so...it's still gotta make it's way through."

"Understood. But there has to be a way we can make it flow more efficiently," Ratchet muttered, deep in thought as he began poking around at the steam lines, examining each one and each connection, looking the odd make over and noting every detail, committing it all to memory for future examinations.

"There probably is but, ya know me. I don't always see the obvious," Wheeljack said with a sheepish chuckle, gazing down at the little bot.

"No, you see what everyone else misses," Ratchet complimented, a small smile on his lip components. The compliment made Wheeljack's fins flicker a bit, an embarrassed air surrounding the other mech suddenly. Pretending not to notice, Ratchet looked back down at the sparkling on the table, making a thought sound in the back of his vocal processor.

"Hm... Maybe if we connected this to bypass..." He muttered, trailing off as he used a clamp to cut off the steam in the veins he wanted to disconnect and relocate. Wheeljack watched his fellow mech work, embarrassment forgotten for the moment, processor tilting a bit.

"Ya know, that just might be exactly what the little guy needs Ratch." Ratchet was silent for a moment in concentration as he finished that connection, releasing the clamps and watching the steam move through the veins, looking carefully for any leaks.

"Any other connections like that you can think of?"

"Don't think so, Ratch. That was the central line, sorta like the main pump in us that moves all the Energon throughout our frames. As long as that line--" He motioned to the one that Ratchet had clamped. "--is pumping properly, the rest should follow suit." On the table, Steam Rider made a noise as the steam did in fact start to get through his entire frame, the little mech's processor moving.

"Good, then," Ratchet nodded, content if Wheeljack was. "Close him up, then, before he wakes and wonders what's going on."

Scaring the little one was the last thing he wanted to do after all.

Wheeljack did as he was told, gently securing the little sparkling's chassis plate and spark case, stroking his fingers gently along the seem once he was finished. The little mech shifted some, visor dimly coming back online as he made a curious noise as he looked from Wheeljack to Ratchet, a very light squeak escaping the sparkling as he lifted an arm and reached for the med-bot who was more than a bit surprised that he was the one reached for rather than the mechling's creator, but he wasn't going to object, and scooped Steam Rider up in his arms, holding him close to his spark.

"Shall we lay him down with his brother?" he suggested softly, rocking gently with the sparkling. A smile in his optics, Wheeljack nodded and motioned for his friend to follow, leading the way back towards his lab. They went in silence, luckily not passing any other bots (oh the questions they would have gotten), Wheeljack hushing Tungston before the drone could make any loud noises as the group entered the lab. The inventor slipped into the berth where Velocity was, optics softening even more.

"Just set him there, Ratch," he murmured, looking over to the med-bot whom Steam Rider was happily curled against. The sparkling was laid down gently beside his twin, who stirred lightly and rolled over to wrap his arms around his brother before he fell back into full recharge. Ratchet took a seat at the end of the berth, looking with soft optics to the pair.

"... You did a good job, Jack," he said after a moment, a comment that made the inventor look at his friend in surprise, digits stilling where they had been stroking along the twins' processors.

"...Thank ya, Ratch," he murmured, fins flashing happily as he moved over and sat down beside the med-bot. "I tried...I really did."

"You always do," he nodded, leaving his meaning ambiguous. "So... what are we going to do with them, is the question," the CMO muttered, resting an elbow on his knee and resting his chin in his palm.

"Raise them of course," Wheeljack said with a light shrug, looking over at the sparklings again. "Raise them as my own."

"You can't do it alone," was the immediate response, almost like a reminder. "One is more than enough, but two?" Ratchet shook his processor, glancing at the twins again in thought before speaking again. "I'll help."

The inventor glanced over at the other mech, once more surprised.

"Ratch, I don't want to burden ya' or anythin'. I can handle it. I'll have Tungston to help me!"

"You can't possibly hope to give two sparklings enough care and attention and still get your work done by yourself, Wheeljack. As much as I may not like it, Velocity has my spark, and Steam Rider's taken to me. I'll help you. But if it turns out we can't do this, we give one or both of them off to a real pair," he said stern tone slipping into place again. Wheeljack flinched some but nodded all the same, processor hanging like a scolded sparkling.

"Alright Ratch. That's how we'll do it then," he mumbled, glancing at the med-bot out of the corner of his optic. "Thank ya'."

"You're welcome." Watching the two for a breem more Ratchet lifted a servo and reached out to stroke each of their cheeks before pushing up to stand, joints creaking a bit as he shifted some and stretched. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," the inventor said as his fins flashed softly, a smile in his optics as he looked at his friend. The two shared a look, various emotions playing out over their faceplates before Ratchet took his leave, giving the inventor some time alone with his newest charges.


	2. In which twins meet

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 2/?**  
Authors:** Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating:** PG (For now)**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, OCs**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warnin and Slash.  
**Summary:** Chapter Two: In which twins meet twins.**  
Author's Notes:**  
We couldn't bring in a set of twin sparklings and not introduce them to the infamous Lambo Twins. ;3 What kind of TFs fans would we be?? Once again, sorry if things are a bit choppy! I might not have caught everything when I went through and edited the roleplay together. D:

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

----

_A few megacycles later..._

"Swipe get off!" Sunny growled as he and his twin practically fell into the med-lab, the yellow twin shoving at his brother's faceplate with one servo while the opposite arm hung as his side sparking and dripping some Energon.

Apparently their daily sparring session had gotten a bit out of hand this time.

"Oh Primus," Ratchet muttered to himself, rolling his optics in exasperation as he turned to face the twins, servos on his hips. "What did you do this time?"

"He started it! Slagger doesn't know the meaning of a _joke_," Swipe growled, limping along lop-sidedly. The yellow twin's optics narrowed and in a quick move he cuffed his brother upside the processor before turning his glare on Ratchet.

"_Someone_ decided that he was going to try some new forms of Jet Judo on me," he snapped irritably, making it over to one of the examination tables and hauling himself up onto it.

"And I suppose you felt the need to try it back," the medic said in a rather unimpressed tone, gathering the tools he was going to need to repair the twins. Sunstreaker looked a little worse off, so he went to him first.

"Yeah, and the energon-thirsty glitch doesn't slagging know when to lay off!" Sideswipe barked, hauling himself over to another table, glaring daggers at his twin. It was in that moment that Ratchet noticed the damage to Sideswipe's support struts and realized he had started in the wrong place but he already had the yellow mech's servo-armor open. No use in quiting while he was already ahead. He'd just have to be quick about it.

"It's not my fault you don't know how to take a hit, Swipe," the yellow mech practically snarled, in a grand old mood as he let Ratchet get to it, watching the CMO like a hawk out of the corner of his optic. He couldn't feel much in that arm, the occasional spark from time to time, but Sunstreaker also knew that all it would take was one wrong word and Ratchet would make sure he felt what he was doing.

So he was trying to be good...and starting to fail thanks to his loud mouth twin.

"And it's not my fault you don't know the meaning of a friendly match!" Swipe shouted back, getting a little more visibly worked up than his twin.

"Knock it off, the both of you!" Ratchet growled at them both, glare going between them. "You act like a pair of squabbling sparklings!"Realizing just how on edge Sideswipe was as Ratchet scolded them, the yellow mech kept any other comments he had at bay, staring at his twins with a slightly softer look in his optics than before. Sideswipe could take a lot of damage, but Sunny could give a lot as well, and it seemed as though this time they'd gone just a little too far, as was apparent by the red twin's actions now.

He was coping with his pain with anger, and it was causing problems.

Before anyone could get another word in, the med-bay doors slid open once more, this time letting in a certain inventor with two little sparklings on his shoulders.

"Ratch', ya' wanna go talk to--Oh, twins," he said as he stopped, blinking at the pair of injured bots. On his left shoulder, Steam Rider squeaked softly, curling up against Wheeljack's fin. Velocity was peering curiously at the two, quiet for only a moment before he began to chatter, making grabby servos for the twins excitedly. They were the most colorful things he'd seen in his short existence

Blinking as the inventor made his entrance, Sideswipe stared at the tiny beings on his shoulders.

"What in Primus' name-.... Are those sparklings?!" he asked incredulously. Ratchet sighed, looking over his shoulder to the inventor. "

It'll have to wait. I got work to do," he pointed out the obvious, gesturing vaguely with his wrench at the twins.

"Do ya' need some help, Ratch'?" the inventor asked immediately, moving closer as he looked between the adult twins. Sunstreaker had tensed up instantly, staring at Wheeljack like he was just waiting for something to explode, a look in his optics that said 'Do. Not. Touch.' "Looks like ya' both did quite a number on each other."

"We're fine," Sunstreaker growled leaning away from Wheeljack as the inventor leaned in to get a look at his arm. And as he did it, Steam Rider squeaked curiously again, staring at Sunstreaker with wide optics behind his visor.

"Help would be appreciated," the CMO said with a roll of his optics at Sunstreaker's attitude, pointing over at Sideswipe. "Keep the little ones out of the way, though. Don't need any more injuries." Nodding to the CMO, Wheeljack glanced over at Sideswipe to take note of his injuries as he moved to set the sparklings down on one of the empty examination tables.

"Ok, so back up... Where did you get sparklings?" Sideswipe pressed, tilting his head slightly to stare at the little beings as Velocity stared right back at him, going silent now that he'd been obviously noticed.

"It's a secret," the inventor chimmed, fins flashing a bit as he leaned down to touch foreheads with the sparklings. Steam Rider reached for him but a couple soft clicks from the inventor made him stop while Velocity returned his creator's touch with a nuzzle of his own though most of his attention was on Sideswipe. Chuckling softly and gently stroking Steam Rider's processor, Wheeljack moved to help Ratchet with Sunstreaker, figuring it was going to take both of them to fix Sideswipe in the long run.

The yellow mech was obviously even more irritated now, optics thin slits as he glared at the ground and, at the same time, attempting to reach out to his twin through their link. Sideswipe glanced over at his twin when he felt the pulse through their connected, optics narrowed, then softening a bit, his glare subsiding into a glowering pout. It was obvious to him that his twin was curious about the sparklings but he knew Sunny would never admit it outloud. That just wasn't his style.

"Do you two always insist on ripping each other apart so thoroughly?" Ratchet asked out of the blue with more than a bit of irritation in his voice as he reattached a few connections on Sunstreaker.

"I could do a better job next time if you really want me t--"

_CLANG!_

Sunstreaker jerked as the metallic sound of something hitting the ground echoed through the lab, optics snapping over to look at the mechling on the floor. Velocity had fallen off the table he had been perched up and was now staring up at the adults as if he wasn't sure what had just happened, sitting where he'd landed. Worry coursing through him at the sight, Wheeljack was already over and scooping up Velocity, optics sweeping over the little one as he looked for damages.

"Are you alright little one?" he asked worriedly while Steam Rider trembled where he was on the table, looking unsure about what was going on and scared out of his little processor. Velocity chirruped at his creator, still looking a little confused before he looked over his arms and down at the ground. A smile lit his face as he attempted to leap out of Wheeljack's arms, squealing with delight.

"Oh Primus," Ratchet sighed, going back to work on Sunny once he knew Velocity was going to be alright.

"Ha! Little dare devil already!" Swipe proclaimed, grinning widely while his twin scoffed, rolling his optics before he winced as Ratchet went back to work.

"Don't encourage the little glitch, Swipe." The next thing Sunstreaker knew his world was lit up with pain as he became painfully aware of every deliberately jerky movement Ratchet was making. He shot the CMO a glare which was returned wholeheartedly.

"Oops, guess I should have finished the heavy repairs -before- I reconnected the main nerve cables," he said mock-innocently, a warning in his optics and voice. Fighting back the noises that were threatening to escape, Sunstreaker resisted the urge to punch the CMO.

"No problem, sir," he hissed, frame trembling a bit.

"Now now, don't you listen to them," Wheeljack said happily as he held tight to the little sparkling, turning to scoop Steam Rider up as well. "You can be as daring as you want, little bot, but no more jumping off tables like that! You about made my spark stop."

"I'll hold him!" Swipe said enthusiastically, holding out his servos for the silver and white mech. He was attempting to use the sparklings as a distraction for his discomfort. The inventor watched Sideswipe with a calculative look before he finally nodded and moved to hand Velocity over.

"Just be careful with the lil' guy! I don't want him getting hurt!"

Sideswipe took the little one carefully, holding him as though he thought he were likely to break at any second.

"What's their names?" he asked, staring at the mechling in his servos with wonder. Bright cerulean optics were staring straight back at him, but after a moment Velocity began to squirm again, attempting to turn to locate his creator as he began to let out mildly distressed clicks.

"Oh, hey, shhh," Sideswipe cooed, instinctively, if not awkwardly pulling Velocity in close and cradling him. In the process, he turned the little sparkling so he could get a glance of his creator and brother, and he calmed a bit, but still whined for his attention. "There ya go, they're right there. Shhh, I got ya, little V."

"Velocity and Steam Rider," Wheeljack said, cuddling the little black and brown mech again before gently setting the sparkling down on a table closer to where he and Ratchet were working. As the inventor went to help the CMO finish up with Sunstreaker, both sparklings edged towards the point of tantrums now as Steam Rider echoed his twin's clicks with ones of his own; fainter but similar are the same. Sideswipe had successfully gained Velocity's attention back by that point, and the little bot stared up at the red and black mech curiously, still wibbling for his creator softly. But after a moment he became more curious about Sideswipe's helmet, and began to squirm in his grasp to try to latch on to the nearest protrusion, something that made the red twin chuckle.

"Little explorer, huh?" the red mech cooed. Glancing over at the pair as Sunstreaker let his optics offline for a moment, jaw tight against the pain of what the CMO and inventor were doing, Wheeljack's own optics softened a bit.

See? Sideswipe could be responsible when he wanted to be.

Turning his attention back on their task at hand before Ratchet cuffed him or something, Wheeljack made a thoughtful sound, moving to reattach a few wires

"Ratch', I'm not sure if there's much else to do at this point," he commented, tossing a glance at Stream Rider who let out a much louder series of clicks, the sparkling's whole frame shaking even as Wheeljack clicked at him in an attempt to calm him down.

"Go start on Sideswipe, then," Ratchet ordered, finishing up with his own project. All he had to complete was the repairs on the armor now and Sunstreaker would be set. He paused, however, to look over at the clicking sparkling. After a moment of thought, the med-bot set his tools down for a moment and went over to a series of drawers, pulling out an arm sling, then another one. One he set on the table beside Sunstreaker, and the other he put on himself, though he didn't put his arm in it. Instead he scooped up Steam Rider, hushing the little bot softly before setting him gently in the sling against his chest.

"There now, hush."Surprised at suddenly being lifted and resettled, Steam Rider just blinked as he leaned against the CMO's chassis, processor turning as he looked over at Sunstreaker who was eying the little bot like he was about to explode or something.

The inventor had been hesitant to do anything but go coddle his little sparkling but seeing as Ratchet had it under control he nodded and went to do as told. The inventor couldn't help the soft look on his faceplate, the warmth he felt in his spark at how gentle Ratchet was being with the little bots, looking down at Velocity as he neared Sideswipe and reaching out to stroke his faceplate.

"Having fun there lil' one?" he cooed before kneeling down to get a closer look at Swipe's legs. A rapid fire of clicks was made in response to his creator, finally letting go of the protrusion on Sideswipe's helmet and dropping back into his waiting arms, watching Wheeljack curiously, but staying where he was. Chuckling to himself Wheeljack clicked a few times in response then let out a low whistle as he ran his servos over Sideswipe's leg, testing a few points before skilled digits began to make work of the damaged armor and circuits.

Ratchet, on the other hand, paid no more mind to the little bots as he finished up with Sunstreaker, giving him a thump on the shoulder.

"Anywhere else?" Shoulders hunching a bit, Sunstreaker growled low in his vocal processor as he glared at the CMO.

"No. Thank Primus," he snapped, scooting away from Ratchet and the sparkling before he eased off the table.

He wanted out of there apparently.

Sunstreaker received a roll of the optics from Ratchet before he went to help Wheeljack with the other twin, looking at his other leg. He let out a low whistle, prodding a few places before shaking his head. "Pretty thorough job. Sit tight."

"Wasn't planning on going anywhere," Sideswipe shrugged, trying to ignore what the two mechs were doing and put his focus on the little one in his arms. "Whatcha lookin' at, Little V?" he asked, peering over as well. Velocity turned to stare up at him chirping and pointing to his brother in the sling. "Oh yeah, that's your twin, right? That waste of metal is my twin," Swipe told the sparkling, jerking a thumb at Sunstreaker. "You treat your twin nice, ok? Don't be a meany head."

"What -great- advice, Sideswipe," Sunstreaker said in a low tone, rubbing his formerly injured shoulder a bit before he edged closer. As much as he disliked listening to Ratchet he made a point to stay out of there way, coming up behind his twin in a sense and giving the little bot in his arms a weary look. "And least he's got a nice design."

"They both have nice designs!" Wheeljack said as he shot the yellow mech a light glare, trying to be gentle with Swipe's legs as he reconnected a few wires and made sure the connection was nice and tight. "Isn't that right, lil' guys?" From his place against Ratchet's chassis, Steam Rider let out a soft coo, curled up as close as he could get to the CMO's spark case. Velocity clicked in agreement, though he probably didn't know quite what he was agreeing to, his attention going to Sustreaker as he now stared in wonder at the yellow mech.

"I think they're adorable," Sideswipe announced, more than likely trying to get on his twin's nerves than anything. "Especially for Wheeljack creations." His twin merely scoffed, making sure he was clear of any flying objects (meaning behind Sideswipe for cover) before making any comments.

"I guess they're better than the dinobots, if nothing else."

"Keep talkin' like that and I'll make sure the Dinobots become your new best friends, Sunstreaker," Wheeljack mused happily as he continued working, clicking to his sparklings here and there.

The silver mechling had lost interest in his father completely for now and was more interested in trying to scale Sideswipe to get to Sunstreaker. The red mech assisted in boosting him up to his shoulder, though he didn't actually let him climb on. For the moment, it was enough for Velocity to be this close and end examine the yellow mech, chattering softly and reaching out to try to touch him, though it didn't seem it was going to happen. Eying the sparkling like he was a disease or something, Sunstreaker inched backwards, his optics narrowing as he gave the smaller bot a stern look.

"Don't. Touch." he ordered, motioning to himself. The sparkling let out a low, sad whistle and recoiled a bit like a scolded puppy, hunching in close to Sideswipe's helm for cover.

"Aw, did the big bad meany-mech scare you?" Swipe cooed, pulling the sparkling down from his shoulder and craddling him close to his spark case.

"What's the matter, never been around a sparkling before?" Ratchet asked, glancing up at Sunstreaker. "He's just curious. He won't bite, his teeth plate hasn't even formed yet."

"He's a sparkling which means he makes messes because he's clumsy which means I don't want anything to do with him," Sunstreaker said simply, rolling his optics a bit as he leaned to the side and glanced down at what the CMO and inventor where doing. "He's going to be okay right?"

Someone was feeling guilty...secretly.

"Of course he will! He just needs to talk it easy is all!" the inventor said, finishing up what he was doing and moving down towards the actual foot part of Sideswipe's stabilizing strut.

"Oh what, you actually care now?" Sideswipe shot back over his shoulder, giving Sunny a glare. "Make up your mind, Mister Hot'n'Cold." Glaring at his twin Sunstreaker resisted the urge to cuff him upside the head, shoulders hunching a bit as he muttered something under his breath and nodded to Ratchet in an apology of sorts.

"Hey, your arguing is making you jerk about," Ratchet growled, taking a firm hold of the stabilizer he was working on. "Either knock it off, or take a hike," he finished, glaring to both of the twins.

"We're almost done and then ya' both can argue as much as ya' want," the inventor pipped up, honestly amused by the twins in a roundabout way. The red mech tried to stay as still as he could be with the two mechs still working on his legs and Velocity chattering at him and trying to play with his face, but it was a lot more difficult than it seemed. Luckily Ratchet and Wheeljack were both good at what they did and soon enough they had most of the repairs done. The twins were going to have lay off their sparring for awhile but Swipe would at least be able to get back to his usual jokster self.

Much to Ratchet's dismay.

"Good as new. Thanks, docs," Swipe said gratefully as he eased of the table, bending his joints a bit then straightening back up. Beside the table the yellow twin was watching Sideswipe closely, optics darting this way and that as he kept an eye out for anything that he deemed unfit, ever the nervous and protective brother. Once he was satisfied with the job the pair of bots had done he glanced at Wheeljack and Ratchet giving them a nod of approval. The inventor's fins flashed as he nodded back, ever the pleasant bot as he went about cleaning up.

"Well little V, wanna go for a walk with me?" The little sparkling chirped happily, clinging to Sideswipe who was grinning like a fool as he waved at the scientists, both of them realizing at the same time that something bad was about to occur.

"What--"

"I'll bring him back in a bit!" Sideswipe announced before taking off out of the lab, Velocity still in his arms.

"Wait!" Wheeljack dropped the tools he had been holding, fins flashing with fear as he took off after Sideswipe. "Come back here!"

Left alone in the med-lab with Ratcher who looked ready to slag someone, Sunstreaker lifted a servo to rub at his forehead. He had felt the playfulness levels rising in his twin and wished now he had stopped it before he had gotten away but, at the same time, deep down, he was curious to see what his brother was up to. So, in a slight begrudging manner, the yellow mech started out of the med-lab with Ratchet and Steam Rider on his heels.

"Primus only knows what he's up too," he muttered, making a left in the hallway and heading for the rec room where he felt his twin's spark pulsing.


	3. In which Sideswipe gets a headache

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter**: 3/?**  
Authors:** Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating:** PG (For now)**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Bumblebee, Hound, Mirage, OCs**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning. And, like before, slash warning!**  
Summary:** Chapter Three: In which more bots find out and Sideswipe gets a headache.**  
Author's Notes**:  
BD Time for more bots to meet the little ones! This is going to be a good thing in the long run...or a bad thing. XD This chapter's a bit shorter than the others, sorry about that!  
Once again, sorry if things are a bit choppy! I might not have caught everything when I went through and edited the roleplay together. D:

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

----

"BUMBLEBEE!" Sideswipe practically shouted as he entered the recreation room, little Velocity still tightly in his arms. "Look what I made last night!" Having been in the midst of a holo-vid with Hound, Bumblebee startled slightly and looked up from his seat only to stare at Sideswipe like the red mech had just grown another head.

"....Who did you kidnap a sparkling from Swipe?!"

"I didn't kidnap him, I made him!" Swipe pressed, pouting mildly. "You don't believe me? Little V, tell Bee how it is." Velocity looked up at the larger bot curiously, no real idea what he was going on about, and looked to the new yellow bot when he was directed to.

"There's no way you--" The yellow mini-bot cut himself off as Velocity suddenly starting clicking at him and making grabby servos at his horns, Bee staring at the little bot for a long moment before he slipped out of his seat and moved closer. By that point the sparkling was wiggling like mad to get out of Sideswipe's grasp and get to Bumblebee, the noises snapping Hound of his daze finally. The green mech glanced over and did something of a double take, turning himself as he rested an arm on the back of his seat.

"Sideswipe had a sparkling?"

"How come no one believes me?" the red mech asked with a pout, picking up on the disbelief in Hound's voice as well.

"Oh Primus," Mirage frowned as he entered the room, optics set firmly on the sparkling. "When did we gain a sparkling, and who in their right processor let Sideswipe get his servos on it?" he asked sarcastically, crossing the room to stand beside Hound, a servo resting on the green mech's shoulder.

"Sideswipe claims it's his," the yellow mini-bot said as he grinned and reached out to take a hold of the sparkling...

Only to get cut off as a frantic Wheeljack came bursting into the room.

"Sideswipe! Give him back now!" the inventor said through his panic, fins flashing wildly. The silver mechling gave a happy squeal when he heard his creator's voice, trying to turn in the red mech's grasp to get a look at him, something that made Hound's expression turn thoughtful as the green mech started to put two and two together, nudging Mirage a bit and motioning between the pair. Mirage rolled his optics, watching the scene unfold for a moment with a look of mild amusement on his face before he nodded to Hound which made the other bot grin.

"Aw, c'mon, 'Jack! We were just exlporing!" Sideswipe explained, glancing over his shoulder at the inventor and waving a servo dismissively with Velocity safely held in the other one, though he was finding his way out quickly.

"Ya' coulda asked first!" Wheeljack said in a huff as he moved over and swept Velocity up into his arms, cradling the sparkling against his spark case. "Ya' alright lil' one?" he cooed, clicking softly at the white mechling.

"So you kidnapped Wheeljack's sparkling?" Bee said as he half glared at the red mech before he stopped, thought about what he said, and looked to the inventor. "Wait, when did _you _get a sparkling?"

"It's kinda a lon--" Wheeljack didn't get the chance to finish as a wrench came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Sideswipe's head. The sheer force of the wrench set the red mech off balance, and the shock it sent through his helm to his equalizer did the rest, sending Sideswipe crashing to the floor. Velocity shrank against Wheeljack at the noise, staring at Sideswipe in confusion, absolutely no idea what had just happened as the other bots in the room all winced, Mirage grimacing and sank down into the seat Bee had vacated beside Hound, trying not to get involved.

"That'll teach ya," Ratchet grumbled as he entered the room, glaring down at Sideswipe. "Then again knowing you, maybe it won't." Like the blue mech beside him, Hound kinda shrank back, not wanting to get involved despite feeling bad for Sideswipe.

Wrenches to the head never felt good.

Trailing behind Ratchet, Sunstreaker was trying not to snicker as he moved to help his twin up, Bee assisting him as Wheeljack looked at the CMO, fins flashing some.

"Ratch', I think that was a bit much," he murmured, optics dropping to Steam Rider who was contently snuggled against the CMO's chassis.

"Hardly," Ratchet snorted, moving closer to Wheeljack to stroke digits over Velocity's helm, the mechling purring contently at this. "Gotta protect our future, hm?" he stated softly, optics on Velocity.

"Oh Primus, Ratchet the dad.... So creepy," Swipe grumbled as he swayed on his stabilizers a bit, one servo on his helm where the wrench had hit and the other clinging to Sunny for support. A soft look entered Wheeljack's optics as he watched Ratchet, keeping anything he had to say at bay as Steam Rider made a faint noise at his brother, peering up over the edge of the sling now. Hearing it, Velocity perked up and once more starting clicking and chirping happily, waving his servos around as, through sparkling speak, he began to tell his brother about everything that had been going on.

"If he hits you with another wrench, I'm not helping you up," Sunstreaker drawled while Bee snickered.

"There's another one," Mirage commented, spotting Steam Rider. "How many did you make?"

"Just the two," Ratchet answered for Wheeljack, looking back to the other bots in the room, expression hardening once more. "Now, if you all don't mind, we need to go speak with Prime."

"Can we play later?" Swipe ventured to ask, ducking in case Ratchet happened to have another wrench somewhere on him. The inventor got a thoughtful look on his faceplate, processor tilting slightly as he glanced down at the two sparklings before his optics were on Sideswipe again.

"I don't see why not. As long as ya' don't run off with them again," he said sternly, fins flashing a bit.

"Does that mean us too?" Hound pipped up finally, Bee nodding in agreement.

"It's not everyday we get sparklings around here after all!" The inventor chuckled in response, nodding again.

"Sure...after we talk to Prime and all."

"Well you're going to have to get used to the sparklings, cus I don't imagine they're going anywhere," Ratchet said gruffly, though secretly he was glad to see they were so well received, except for Mirage who seemed to be staying rather quiet on the whole subject, giving Hound an analyzing look which made the green mech's expression turn sheepish as he shrugged a bit.

"Woo! We get to play with the sparklings!" Swipe announced happily.

"Play later, Prime first," Ratchet corrected him, giving them all a parting glare. "C'mon, Jack." Steam Rider seemed to have finally noticed all the other large bots around, having been absorbed in his brother's story telling, the little mechling squeaking faintly and ducking down a bit as his visor flickered. He was a mix of scared and curious, half wanting to sit up to get a better look but...Ratchet's spark was just nice and calming so he'd stay right there.

"They're very different," Bee murmured, drifting a bit closer to Ratchet, pushing himself up a bit to look at Steam Rider who squeaked again, ducking down more.

"Ya' have no idea," Wheeljack chuckled as he shifted Velocity in his arms a bit, the sparkling letting out a loud chirp in response. "Shall we, Ratch'?" he asked, watching the CMO regard Bumblebee with a narrowed look.

"You can play meet and greet later," Ratchet said to Bumblebee, though he moved to bend down just a bit so the small yellow bot could get a glance at Steam Rider. "Stay out of trouble, I'm not in the mood to repair any of you anymore today," he said warningly before heading out of the room.

"Way to jinx it," Sunstreaker muttered, lifting a servo in a half wave of sorts, the yellow mech going over to sit with Hound and Mirage.

"Bye little guys!" the other yellow mech in the room said happily, waving as Wheeljack made to follow Ratchet, the inevntor clicking softly at the sparkling in his arms. Velocity climbed up so he could see over Wheeljack's shoulder, lifting a servo a bit unsurely and mimicking the larger bots, giving them a small wave.

"Aw, so cute," Swipe practically gushed as they left view. "Sunny, I want a sparkling!"

"That's exactly what we don't need," Mirage deadpanned, rolling his optics.


	4. In which Chromia wants sparklings

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 4/?**  
Authors:** Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating:** G**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, OCs, Ironhide, Chromia**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning..And then of course we have a slash warning.**  
Summary:** In which Chromia's motherly instincts kick in.**  
Author's Notes:**  
Sorry for the delay! I'm..ah...yeah I got lazy and it took me forever to edit everything. D: My apologies for that!

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

–

Once out of the rec room, Wheeljack started showering Velocity with attention, digits stroking along the sparkling's side in a tickling manner as he clicked and chirped at him.

"Who are the cutest lil' sparklings ever? Velocity and Steam Rider, that's who!" he cooed, fins flashing happily as he drifted closer to Ratchet, not paying attention to anything else but the twins and the CMO. Velocity was more than happy to receive the attention, chirping in return in a sound that was almost a giggle, trying to push his creator's servos away with his.

"Oh Primus, 'Jack, is that really necessary?" Ratchet asked, rolling his optics. The display of cuteness was far too much for him.

"Of course it is, Ratch'! The lil' guys need to know that they're loved!" Swinging around the CMO, Wheeljack leaned in to click at Steam Rider a bit, the little mechling making a faint giggling sound like his twin's, reaching up to touch his creator's cheekplates, an act that made said bot's optics light up, another round of clicks coming from him. So absorbed in what he was doing, Wheeljack didn't notice the two bots walking down the hall and it seemed like they didn't notice the inventor and CMO either as the larger of the pair bumped right into Wheeljack sending the inventor stumbling slightly.

"Wheeljack? What in the pit are ya'--" Ironhide stopped, frowning some as he heard the clicking and chirping of the sparklings. And it was at that same moment that Chromia, who had been trailing along behind her mate, noticed Velocity peeking around Wheeljack's arms.

"What-... Where in the universe did you get sparklings?" she asked, wonder written all over her face as she stepped closer and leaned in to get a better look at Velocity while Ratchet pulled Steam Rider in close to himself, giving Ironhide a mild glare.

"Back off, will you? You're scaring him."

"..Gettin' a little testy there ain't ya', Ratchet?" Ironhide snorted but he did lean away, eying the sparkling almost...wearily.

"They're ou--mine!" the inventor said happily in response to Chromia, shifting his arms so she could get a better look at Velocity. "Aren't they adorable???"

"Oh Primus yes!" Chromia practically gushed, reaching out slowly to stroke Velocity's faceplate. the silver mechling gave her servo a curious glance before his attention went back to her face, and he clicked happily at her, anything to make her giggle or talk so long as he was hearing her voice. "Oh, aren't you just a little sweetspark?" she continued, tickling his chin before turning her attention to Steam Rider, giving him the same treatment much to Velocity's dismay. Steam Rider let out a tiny whimper as he tried to curl closer to Ratchet but as Chromia kept talking he slowly began to calm, visor flickering a bit as he peered up at her faceplate. Slowly he eased away from the CMO, scooting closer to her in the sling with a quiet chirp, still weary of Ironhide.

"What are their names?How long have you had them? Are they just yours? Or both of yours?"

"Their names are Steam Rider and Velocity," Wheeljack pipped up, motioning between the pair.

"They're..I mean well...." Trailing off the inventor shifting some, not really sure whether or not to put Ratchet on the spot like that or not.

"......Ya' bonded then? Figures."

"We haven't bonded," Ratchet interjected, giving Ironhide a mild glare. "It was just an experiment. We wanted to see if two sparks could be successfully combined to create a spark outside of bonding." While he didn't particularly like the fact that it had been done without his consent, a part of Ratchet wanted to protect Wheeljack and stand beside him in whatever he did, and Ironhide didn't need a reason to pick on them.

An experiment was likely enough anyhow.

"Down boy," Ironhide said with a smirk before he winced as his mate started gushing more.

"Oooh, you're so adorable!" Chromia cooed, scooping Steam Rider out of his sling and cradling him close to her spark. "Isn't he just so cute? Both of them are."

Focusing his attention on Velocity, Wheeljack just clicked softly at the little mechling, digits stroking over his faceplate as Chromia gushed over the other sparkling. The whole subject of bonding had really gotten to Wheeljack, the subject something of a sensitive topic for him, considering he really did care about Ratchet a lot but... A series of clicks and chirps, much louder than normal considering who they were coming from, made him glance over at the femme of the group as Steam Rider touched her cheekplates, steam blowing out of his mouth guard. The puff of steam in her face made Chromia jerk back just a touch, and she stared at the mechling with a bit of confusion, but smiled curiously after a moment, leaning back into him.

"What was that? Hm? You're just too darling," she cooed, ticking his chin with a few gentle digits. Steam Rider initially thought he had done something wrong, the little bot shrinking back some but as soon as Chromia started showering him with affection again he made another small sound and reached up to hesitantly touch her faceplate. And while Velocity was pleased with the attention he was getting from Wheeljack, it was clear he wanted it from Chromia as well, chirping louder to try and block out his brother's noise, wanting the attention back on himself.

"Hey now lil' one," the inventor murmured to Velocity, leaning in to nuzzle him some. "There's no reason to get jealous." The femme finally pulled back, looking over to Velocity as Wheeljack straightened.

"I know you're over there, little one," she giggled. "Oh Wheeljack, they're adorable. You did a great job," she complimented, looking between the two still. "It must be wonderful to have sparklings." There was very obviously a double meaning to that last part, and the blue femme glanced to her mate with a small smirk creeping up on her lips. Staring at his mate with a dumbfounded sort of expression, Ironhide's optics narrowed some in a questioning sort of way as he snorted through his vents.

"Don't go gettin' all worked up, femme. They're just sparklings."

"Ya' just don't get it, 'Hide," Wheeljack mused with a chuckle, oblivious to the glare that the weapons specialist gave him.

"For Primus' sake, Ironhide," Chromia began in a scolding tone. "We've been together for how long, but every time sparklings are brought up you either run like a scared cyberwolf with your tail between your legs or act like you're too mach to be a father." Ratchet surpressed a snicker as Chromia told Ironhide off, looking to Wheeljack and motioning with a jerk of his head that they should get going, the CMO having a feeling things were about to get fairly ugly.

"I ain't never ran off scared, femme!" Ironhide growled, servos clenching as he glared down at his mate. "Sparklings just ain't somethin' I ever worked into the equation!"

Adjusting his hold on Velocity, Wheeljack ease around the arguing pair, tossing Chromia a glance, his optics smiling gently before he reached the CMO's side and motioned for him to lead the way. In said bot's arms, Steam Rider squeaked softly, trying to look around his creator at Chromia, steam billowing out of his faceplate.

"Well I've certainly given you enough time to work it in," she retorted, glaring right back up at him, but pausing a nano-klik to wave at the little bots as they made their exit. "Or are you really that stubborn that you can't adapt to the idea?"

"I never said that!" the weapon's specialist snapped, getting more and more irritated but at the same time he was keeping his volume down because of the sparklings.

See? He did care.

Velocity stared in wonder at the bickering bots, trying to peer around Wheeljack to watch them as they got farther away. Once they turned a corner, he rested back down in his creator's arms, clicking up at him as though making a comment about them.

"You can say that again," Ratchet chuckled, acting as though he knew what had just been said. Clicking in response to the sparkling, Wheeljack's fins flashed some before his attention was pulled to Steam Rider who let out a quiet whine, looking around for Chromia still.

"Don't worry lil' one! You'll see her again! I promise!" Velocity, never one to be left out of a conversation it seemed, let out a soft whine as well, looking to his brother and clicking a few times disappointedly.

"What are you two chattering about?" Ratchet asked, not expecting any real response that he could understand. "Chromia will be around. She'll probably come see you as much as she can," he reassured them, the sound of the arguing couple fading into the background. Peering up at Ratchet the little black and brown mechling let out a low whistle then a couple of clicks, lifting his servos and waving them some as if animating his story some before he flopped back into the sling a bit more.

"They want to know what's goin' on is all," the inventor explained, offering the sparklings a couple of clicks before he focused on Ratchet again, something coming to mind. "Is Prime even here right now? He's not off on a mission is he?" The question caught the CMO off guard, and he paused, glancing away to think about it.

"I assume he is... I don't recall hearing that he'd left," he shrugged after a bit, absently reaching into the sling to gently run the tips of a few digits over the crest of Steam Rider's helm soothingly. In response to the touches, Steam Rider cooed softly, leaning happily into CMO's digits but, at the same time, he looked over towards his brother, clicking faintly at him. In the inventor's arms, Velocity was getting restless. He wanted to move about one his own and explore, not be carried around like a helpless human infant. He whined a bit as he struggled, trying to push his creator's servos away so he could obtain his freedom. Wheeljack was rather oblivious, having realized that he had said something to upset ratchet. His fins flashed some as he lifted a servo, now holding Velocity with just one, waving it some in a dismissing sort of manner.

"Don't listen to me, Ratch'! I'm just babblin' is all! I'm sure he's around! We just gotta track him down is all."So caught up in trying to make his companion relax, he was completely unaware of the impending doom.

One arm? Not enough to hold Velocity back.

_Clunk!_

The mechling landed on the ground in front of Wheeljack, having finally managed to liberate himself. The silver sparkling sat in a bit of a daze for a moment, but less than last time, and quickly climbed to his stabilizers shakily. Glancing back briefly at the others, he grinned mischievously before running as fast as his wobbly little legs would take him.

"What- Velo- Catch him!" Ratchet barked to his partner, moving to try to help head the little speed demon off. Clicking rapidly at his brother, Steam Rider tried to get close to the edge of the sling and look down to see what Velocity was doing but Ratchet started after said sparkling sent him fumbling and with a loud click the little mechling fell and hit the ground as well.

"Ratch' careful!" Wheeljack said, grabbing the CMO and jerking him back before he stepped on Steam Rider. Said sparkling squeaked loudly, steam pouring out of his faceplate as he looked around, obviously searching for Velocity.

"Oh, lil' one, it's alright! You're--" The inventor started to bend down to scoop him up but Steam Rider let out a loud chirp and stumbled upright, almost falling backwards before he fell forward and took off after his brother before Wheeljack could snag him. "Steam Rider!"

"Oh Primus, here we go again!" Ratchet growled, taking off at full speed now that he didn't have to worry about Steam Rider at his side. Now he just had to worry about keeping the little sparkling in view.

That was easier said than done though.

Velocity had stopped at the end of the hall, waiting halfway out of view for his twin. He let out a whistle like an encouraging cheer, and once the other mechling had caught up, he grabbed his servo and took off once more, dragging the other with a trail of steam dissipating behind them.

Right on the CMO's heels, Wheeljack let out a worried set of clicks as he tried to get Steam Rider to stop and the little mechling almost did...had it not been for Velocity grabbing his servo and dragging him off.

"That way Ratch'!" he called, pointing towards a side hall and he reached it seconds after he said it coming face to face with--

Nothing.

Hitting the brakes, so to speak, Wheeljack's fins began to flash double time as his optics darted this way and that.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, this isn't good!" he got out all at once, turning suddenly to look at Ratchet. "They could be anywhere, Ratch'!"

"Easy, 'Jack. They couldn't have gotten out of the base, thus they're fine. For now," he said somewhat reassuringly, scanning the hallway carefully for any sign, visual or audio, of the twins. "Steam Rider, come out now," he called out to the less devious of the two.

Unfortunately for the bots, Steam Rider didn't answer, too easily swayed by the more devious of the pair.

"Velocity?" Ratchet called out again, trying to get a response from either of them. But Velocity wasn't making a peep either, far too amused by the reaction his new found game was receiving.

"We should start checkin' all the rooms, put out an alert of somethin', Ratch'. I just don't want them hurt!" Wheeljack said worriedly, in a very mother-henish sort of style.

"Alright, let's start looking," Ratchet agreed after a moment, moving to the nearest door. "I'll start on this side, you take that one."

Primus was this going to be all shades of not fun.


	5. In which things get a bit more serious

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 5/?**  
Authors:** Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating:** G**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, OCs, Prowl, Jazz**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning..Slash!...nothing else as of right now.**  
Summary:** In which things get a bit more serious.**  
Author's Notes:**  
x_x Yeah..so..um...about those delays.....-hides-

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

–

Steam Rider let out a soft series of clicks as he and Velocity pushed the door that they had chosen to dart in shut, the black mechling blowing out a puff of steam as his nervousness began to show through. He knew they were going to be in a lot of trouble when Wheeljack and Ratchet found him and he hated to make them worry..but...Velocity was just so convincing and it was hard to say no!

Chirping softly he looked at his brother, the sparkling huddling closer to him as he peered at the door, as if waiting for Ratchet to burst through it.

Velocity, however, didn't seem to have consequences on his processor at all. The happy-go-lucky, mischevious little bot whistled confidently to his twin, pulling him close to his chest none too gently, since he didn't have much of a concept of force, a grin on his faceplate as he listened to the two bots dart past outside the door. The black mechling let out an indignant sort of sound as he was pulled close, steam billowing out of his face mask as he pressed his servos against his twin's chestplate and started to push--

"Can I help you two with something?" a smooth sounding voice asked but it caused Steamer to startle nonetheless, said sparkling jerking back as his visor-covered optics landed on the source of the voice. Velocity, in all of his confident glory, jumped about half his own height into the air and then cowered behind his brother, completely taken off guard by the evidence of other life forms in the room.

Optic ridge arching, Prowl glanced between them slightly before his optics narrowed a bit.

"Well?"

Wide optics stared at the logibot as he began to slowly creep out from behind Steam Rider. He let out a whistle of joy and a long stream of clicks after a moment, smiling brightly. A new face surely meant a new friend!

".............." Prowl, not well versed in the language of sparklings, gave Velocity a blank sort of look before he pushed his seat back, rising to his feet. Trying to move backwards, nudging his twin back as he did, Steam Rider stared at logibot like he was the scariest thing on the planet, letting out a series of squeaks as Prowl drew closer to them. The silver mechling's attention was briefly drawn to his sibling, but as Steam Rider tried to step back, he stepped out completely from behind him and allowed the smaller mechling to stand behind him. He was such a brave little thing, wasn't he? Or just naive.

"Let me guess, you are hiding?"

Velocity's bright smile turned into a grin when Prowl mentioned hiding, and he nodded and clicked a few times in response. As Prowl drew closer, however, his grin began to fade as he realized just how large the other bot was. Until then, he'd met the other Autobots of the base from the safety and height of another's arms, and the world didn't look so huge. But Prowl, at that moment, looked like a giant, and even defiant Velocity was forced to take a step back.

"At ease, little one. I am not going to hurt you," he said calmly, kneeling down a few feet from the pair, watching them with narrowed optics still. "We need to find your creators though."

Wait a minute, find their creators? No way! Their creators had to find them, and the little silver and white mech told all of this to the black and white mech in a series of sharp, unhappy clicks.

Who was more than happy to hide behind Velocity? Steam Rider, that's who. He pressed his faceplate against the other mechling's back, letting out shakey little chirp as Prowl spoke to them, too scared to even chance a look at the mech.

"Oh is that so?" the second in commander replied as Velocity clicked unhappily at him, having no idea what the sparkling had said but rolling with it all the same. "Unfortunately, what I say goes in this situation and I am going to find your creators. I am sure they are extremely worried about you." He gave the white mechling a firm stare before he rose up again, moving forward in order to scoop the pair up. As soon as Prowl's servo came anywhere near the pair though, Velocity swatted at it as hard as his little servo could hit, growling threateningly.

Well, he thought he was being threatening, at least.

Prowl pulled his servo back a touch, glancing at it then to Velocity again as if to say 'And you expected to do what?'. Realizing that his brother had just gotten them in even more trouble Steamer let out a low whine that turned into a sharp squeak as Prowl suddenly moved, scooping both sparklings up before either of them could react and straightening up, one under each arm.

"There. Was that so hard?"

Velocity let off a stream of reprimanding clicks and chirps, glaring in return at Prowl and squirming in his grasp, trying to get down by any means.

"Easy there," Prowl said with a sort of warning tone, frowning as he adjusted his hold on Velocity while Steam Rider, too scared to do anything, just kept blowing out smoke. It was perfect timing on Prowl's part, moving the sparklings away from the door, as it opened not seconds after Velocity started clicking and chirping, Jazz peering in at the odd noise, though he'd been about to enter anyhow.

"Well what do we have here?" he asked curiously, slipping in and looking at the two.

His optics snapped over to Jazz as the other bot entered, a frustrated sort of look creeping onto his faceplate.

"What do they look like?" he drawled before half glaring. "A little help?"

"That one looks like he's on fire," Jazz pointed to Steam Rider in mild alarm, peering close and using his olfactory sensors to try to detect an electrical fire. But sensing none, only steam, he frowned and took a very wiggle Velocity from Prowl's servos. "Hey there, lil' one. Just chill," he purred.

What another new voice? Was Velocity interested? Oh, very much so!

Once he was free of one of the occupants of his hold, Prowl took ahold of Steam Rider in both servos, looking down at the little bot who seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.

"Come now, there is no reason to act like that," he scolded gently which made the sparkling chirp weakling, a quivering, sad sort of sound that even made Prowl's spark soften.....a little bit. "We need to find their creators," he said in Jazz's direction while he cradled Steam Rider against his chestplate (only to keep the little thing calm of course. No other reason) stroking his helm lightly. Jazz let out a soft snort and rolled his optics behind his visor.

"Oh Prowl," he mused, but never finished the sentence, instead looking down to Velocity, who seemed to be happy as long as he was talking. "Hey there, that's your bro, right? Mind giving him the update that we're cool mechs and he can relax?" he asked the silver and white mechling. Velocity pondered this, then looked over at Steam Rider. He made grabby servos for his brother and whistled softly, trying to reassure the trembling mechling in the other adult's arms. Hearing his brother, Steam Rider hesitantly glanced over, letting out a low whistle in response as his trembling continued, said sound quickly followed by a broken set of chirps.

"......One would think that I was punishing him," Prowl drawled, shaking his processor a bit as he moved over to Jazz so the sparklings could be closer. "As I said, we need to find their creators. I have a feeling these ran off when they were not supposed too."

"I have a feeling I know who they belong to," Jazz smirked slightly, reaching over to gently stroke the crest of Steam Rider's helm with his free servo while balancing Velocity in the other while he tried to latch on to his twin. The sudden attention he was getting made Steamer shrink back a bit, cooing faintly in a confused sort of way as he turned his processor towards Velocity, looking for reassurance or something. Velocity nuzzled against his brother and purred in his own, unsteady way, trying to get his sibling to calm down. The world was a fun place, not scary.

"Oh?" Prowl asked, optic ridge arching. "Care to clue me in?"

"Where would two sparklings suddenly come from without anyone knowing someone was carrying a spark before hand?" Jazz asked, trying to get Prowl to the answer as he withdrew from the black and brown mechling, sensing he was making him more nervous than anything.

For a moment the logibot said nothing, staring at Jazz with a hard to read expression on his face. All at once though that changed as his optics narrowed and he rolled them, Prowl resisted the urge to reach up and rub the bridge of his nose.

"Wheeljack," he said low in his vocal processor, heaving a sigh as Steam Rider squeaked and pressed closer to Velocity, burying his face against his twin's chestplate.

"Bingo," Jazz confirmed in a sing-song voice. "Here, they're more comfortable together. Let me?" he offered, holding out a servo so he could take Steam Rider from Prowl, since neither really seemed like they wanted to let the other go anyway.

Truth be told, Velocity would probably do alright on his own, but for as long as he knew his twin was scared, he would stay with him. It seemed sibling bonds grew early in Cybertronians. Or at least Cybertronians Wheeljack created. ... correctly.

Prowl seemed to snap out of his thoughts and nodded some, gently turning Steam Rider over to Jazz. The little bot let out a frightened chirp until he realized that he was closer to his brother, said chirp turning into a squeak as he practically glued himself to the white sparkling. Jazz watched the pair in his arms as Velocity scooted close and wrapped his little arms around his brother protectively. His usual confident smirk melted into a soft smile for just a moment, then his attention was turned back to Prowl and it disappeared without a trace.

"...Odd little things," Prowl murmured, shaking his processor some as he folded his arms over his chestplate. "We need to find Wheeljack. I am interested to hear his reasoning behind this particular experiment."

"Shouldn't be hard to find them. Open the door?" He requested, and once Prowl did so, he stepped out into the hallway and looked around. "Hey Wheeljack, we found your newest projects!" he shouted to no one, waiting for the inventor to pop out of the woodwork. The logibot slipped out behind him, arms once more folding over his chestplate as he frowned a bit.

"Jazz I really do not think--"

"Steam Rider! Velocity!"

Faster than Prowl thought was possible, Wheeljack was attached to Jazz or, to better describe it, attached to the two sparklings in said bot's arms. Jazz was only a tad surprised by how fast Wheeljack had reached him, and he gave Prowl a look that clearly read as 'I told you so'.

"Don't do that to me ya' here???" he cooed, nuzzling the two as he scooped them up and held them close. Squealing in joy at the site of his creator, Velocity let go of Steam Rider in favor of reaching out and latching onto Wheeljack; It seemed the mechling had completely forgotten that he had been hiding from the inventor. Ratchet wasn't far behind, though his expression was less than pleased as he watched the reunion for a moment with servos folded over his chest. His attention then turned to Prowl and Jazz.

"Thanks for finding them," he said curtly, trying to hide his temper.

"No prob," Jazz grinned coolly, handing the little ones over to Wheeljack. "Now do you mind explaining them?"

Steam Rider was just as happy as his brother was though even more so when he heard Ratchet's voice, peeking over Wheeljack's shoulder and letting out a faint click, reaching for the CMO despite how angry he looked. Noting the look his was receiving from the little steam-bot, Ratchet heaved a sigh through his vents and moved to pluck Steam Rider from Wheeljack's arms to cradle him close.

"Yes, an explanation would be wonderful," Prowl added a bit dryly, glancing from Wheeljack to Ratchet and back again, an optic ridge arching.

"Ah...well...I made them," the inventor mumbled, stepping backwards a bit, closer to Ratchet. "That's the short story version at least."

"_We_ made them," he corrected the inventor as he shot glares to the two commanders. If either of them made any comment about his soft spot for the sparklings, there was more than like a wrench hiding somewhere on his person that wast just itching to hit them.

"Well, that's a good start, but I'm afraid we're gonna need the full story," Jazz frowned just slightly, though the sight of the two with the sparklings was really quite adorable, in a fear for you life kind of way.

"I figured," Wheeljack said with a weak sort of flicker to his fins before he himself sighed, optics falling to rest on Velocity. "I was experimentin' with different ways to create sparklin's. I wanted to see if it was possible to create one without it havin' to be housed inside a bot. And then, in lil' Steamer's case..he..well he doesn't have a real spark." Hearing his name the little bot curled up against Ratchet's spark case let out a soft coo, something that made even Prowl's usually stoic features soften just a tiny, tiny bit.

"What do you mean 'doesn't have a real spark'?" he questioned, gaze leaving Steam Rider to land on the mechling's creator. "How can he not have a real spark?"

"You've seen the steam he puffs out, right? He has a complex thermo-hydraulic system in his chassis rather than a normal energy core spark like you and I have," Ratchet explained, keeping it as simple as he possibly could. Jazz seemed a little put aback by the concept, giving Steam Rider a peculiar look.

"That's... inventive..."

"He is merely a robot then, not actually a bot?"

"No! He's a bot, just like the rest of us!" Wheeljack interjected fiercely, something that startled Prowl, the logibot blinking as his arms dropped to his sides.

"Easy, Wheeljack, I did not--"

"I know exactly what ya' meant and ya' need to get those thoughts outta your processor right now," the inventor said sharply, almost in a huff as Steam Rider tried to bury himself against Ratchet's spark case. The C.M.O. pulled Steam Rider just a bit close and help his arms in such a way that they formed a wall that the little sparkling could hide behind should he choose, something that the mechling took full advantage of. Velocity had been startled by his creator's outburst and whimpered softly, curling up into a little ball in the inventor's arms, hiding his face from all the others, obviously scared of what was going to happen next.

Prowl sighed, expression relaxing a bit.

"I meant no harm. I apologize, I was not thinking before I spoke."

"It's a complex situation. We'll have to watch his progression carefully, but if anyone could've blurred the line, it's Wheeljack," he said, trying to appease both sides.

Although on second thought, he wondered if he'd just made it worse.

Silence fell over the group for a moment, outside of the murmurings of the sparklings, before Prowl shifted a bit, nodding slightly to Ratchet.

"I suppose you are right though I still...great care still needs to be taken with them, though I doubt I have to tell you that," he explained and it was clear that he was not completely comfortable with the situation but he didn't want to Wheeljack to do anything rash either. "Who else knows?"

"The twins, Mirage, Hound, Bee, Chromia, Ironhide..."

"Prime does not know yet?" Prowl said with a slight narrowing of his optics.

".....No."

"So... you didn't have anyone's permission to go through with this?" Jazz asked hesitantly. He had no idea what the repercussions for something like this could even be. It wasn't honestly a situation any of them ever really thought about. The Dinobots had been unintelligent, but permission had been issued for them, and when they had been decommissioned for a time, no one had really seen them as bots, so feelings weren't taken into account.

But sparklings? It hardly seemed fair to do anything to them, and who had the spark to take them away from their creators?

"We were going to see him, before these two took off," Ratchet interjected, trying to alleviate the tension just a bit. Wheeljack had gotten extremely quiet when Jazz had spoken up, his fins dimmed to practically nothing as he hunched his shoulders a bit, moving back even closer to Ratchet. The last thing he wanted was for the sparklings to get taken away. He wasn't sure what he would do if Prime ordered that.

"I see," the logibot replied to the CMO, glancing at Jazz for a moment before looking back at the group before them. "Last I knew he was in his quarters avoiding me so he did not have to work on anything. I have no doubts he can still be found there."

"We'll accompany you," Jazz offered in a friendly manner, but in actuality, he and Prowl were probably going to have to be present anyhow, since they were third and second in command. He motioned for them to follow, casting a quick glance at Prowl before heading down the hall. Saying nothing more, the logibot turned and followed as the other mech led the way, knowing the inventor and CMO would come along at their own pace.

Ratchet nodded, though he didn't move just yet and his attention turned to Wheeljack briefly, scanning the Inventor's face to make certain he was alright.

"It'll be fine," he murmured reassuringly, taking a step closer and lingering a moment before following after Jazz.

"....I hope you're right, Ratch'," Wheeljack murmured, heaving a sigh as he started after the group, lifting his free servo to stroke Velocity's helm. "..I really hope so."


	6. In which Wheeljack and Ratchet BS

**Title: **You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 6/?**  
Authors**: Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating:** G**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet, OCs, Prowl, Jazz, Optimus Prime**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning..Slash!**  
Summary: **In which Wheeljack and Ratchet learn the values of BSing.**  
Author's Notes:**  
Holy crap did this chapter turn out long. xD Longest one yet. Hope you guys enjoy! Also, please keep in mine that the portrayal of the characters is our interpretation. They're based off the real stuff but we're also putting our own little touch to it. :3

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

–

Being Optimus Prime was depressing at points. In the field, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Not every decision could be popular, and someone always got hurt no matter what he did.

In his office, there were seemingly endless piles of paperwork courtesy of Prowl, and visitors were rare. And of course, when a visitor did dare poke their head into the Autobot leader's office, it was almost always, without fail, because they had a complaint.

Needless to say, whenever a knock was heard at the door, Optimus' spark hardly ever rose in the hope of some joyful reprieve from his official desk work. No, he rather dreaded having to solve yet another dispute the bots in question probably could have fixed on their own had they listened to him in the first place.

And there came the dreadful knock.

"Enter," he said in a casual voice, masking all too well his dislike of pop-in visitors.

It wasn't everyday one got visitors like Prime was about to receive though.

"Sir, I apologize for the interruption but--" Prowl was cut off by a series of clicks and chirps, the logi-bot frowning some as he glanced over his shoulder at Wheeljack, the inventor's fins flashing a bit as he shot the other mech an apologetic sort of look.

"Ah..sorry..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck supports with his free servo. "They were wonderin' where we were so I was tellin' them." Behind him was Ratchet, the CMO carrying Steam Rider after a bit of a fuss during the walk to Prime's office, the little black mechling billowing with smoke as he twittered in fear, having seen the large mech inside the room. Ratchet, to his credit, was doing his best to keep Steam Rider calm, cradling him close to his spark and keeping him partially hidden with his arms to make the mechling feel protected.

Velocity, on the other hand, was just more curious about who was in the room. He was already doing his best to squirm out of Wheeljack's arms to crawl up on the inventor to get a better view.

"They?" Prime asked curiously, sitting up straight and inclining his head slightly to the side to try to see around Prowl.

"Velocity..." A serious of clicks and chirps came next as Wheeljack tried to urge the little one to stay still, stepping into the room as he cast an anxious, nervous sort of glance towards Prime. "I...can explain, I swear I can, Optimus."

"Ah.. Wheeljack had some fun in the labs," Jazz explained, moving to stand off to one side so all present could enter, the inventor doing just that as his nervousness grew. The sparkling in his arms calmed down a bit after he was told, instead turning to stare wide-opticked at the large mech behind the desk, who was staring right back at him. Intimidating much?

Oh yes.

"The type of fun that results in sparklings, as you can see," Prowl added, folding his arms as he stood off to the side, ever the attentive second in command.

Wrong way to say that, Prowl. Very, very wrong. Since the type of fun that results in sparklings was usually... well you get the idea.

"Let's have it, then," Optimus said calmly, studying both sparklings as he expected Wheeljack to launch into a long, detailed story. Clearing his vocal processor and tossing a look at Ratchet, the inventor slowly got his nerve together and started talking, gently digits stroking over Velocity's helm.

"I wanted to see if I could create a sparklin' outside of the normal ways of doin' it. Velocity here...I took a sample of Ratch's spark and combined it with a piece of my own to make him. And lil' Steamer there, well..he doesn't have a spark like ours. He's steam based, runs off water with a lil' bit of Energon thrown in there for good measure. They're both functionin' sparklin's though!" Knowing that he was being talked about, the black mechling let out a weak little whistle, nestling himself against Ratchet's sparkcase, little digits clinging at the curves of it. Optimus sat back in his chair, letting out a soft sigh behind his face mask and looking between the CMO and the inventor.

"You helped?" he asked Ratchet.

"Yes," the Medbot said before Wheeljack could interject. "I oversaw the project. They're both in excellent condition." It took everything Wheeljack had not to interject when Ratchet admitted to helping, though Prowl caught the way the inventor's fins flashed slightly, a frown marring his faceplate but neither got a chance to speak as Prime let out a muffled, almost disbelieving snort, a sound that made Wheeljack's arms curl a bit tighter around Velocity.

"And whose permission did you have for this project?"

".....No one's sir."

Another silence as Prime considered what to ask next. Things like sudden sparklings wasn't exactly covered in Prime school. Heck, nothing was covered in Prime school because it didn't exist!

"... And the purpose of these experiments...?" He asked after a moment.

"..I...just wanted to see if it could be done, I guess," Wheeljack said softly, gazing down at the sparkling he held with a warmth in his optics that hadn't previously been there. "Sparklin's are a rare thing anymore and..I just...." Clearing his vocal processor Prowl interjected, taking a slight step forward.

"Whatever the intent, permission still should have been sought."

"We understand that. To be honest... I didn't expect either to work," Ratchet admitted. "That's why I didn't push Wheeljack to seek permission. And when it started working, we should have come straight to you. But we just got so caught up in the excitement of making new life..." he trailed off, hoping he was convincing enough.

"I trust you'll keep us informed of every experiment from now on, no matter what you believe the outcome will be?" Prime asked pointedly, leaning forward to give stern glares to both bots in question.

"Of course," Ratchet responded subduedly.

"Without a doubt, sir," was the automatic response from Wheeljack, the inventor nodding quickly. A few soft clicks came from the sparkling hidden in Ratchet's arms, Steam Rider peeking over the edge of his safe zone to look at the gathered bots. His optics landed on Prime and he ducked back down a bit, obviously scared of the large mech but still watching him nonetheless, an action that made the corners of Optimus' lip components began to twitch up ever so slightly in a smile, something that no one in the room would be aware of.

The CMO's attention had been drawn back to the mechling in his arms, and he caressed the crest of Steam Rider's helm with the back of a few gentle digits as he awaited their punishment. There was something satisfying about seeing Ratchet so gentle with another being, rather than his usual wrench-flinging self. A soft smirk came to Jazz's lip components, and Prime had to work even harder to fight off a smile.

Wheeljack's fins flashed some and he smiled, Prowl shaking his head from where he stood near the inventor while, in the inventor's arms, a certain mischievous little sparkling, thinking it was once more play time with the very large bot, began to squirm again, trying to get himself onto the large desk to get a closer look at the behemoth before him.

"I assume the two of you will take full responsibility for them and their care?" Prime questioned, the smile creeping into his voice now.

"That was the plan," Wheeljack said after a moment, looking back to Optimus as he struggled to keep a hold on Velocity.

"We should most likely introduce the others on base to them, if only to make sure everyone knows that they are here and to take caution," the logibot murmured, watching Velocity with an arched optic ridge as Steam Rider melted against ratchet, cooing softly.

"Steam Rider and Velocity, you said?" Optimus asked after a minute of surveying the scene before him. A nod was Prime's answer, Wheeljack having drifted a bit closer to Ratchet, hoping the closeness of the two sparklings would get Velocity to calm down some, the action in itself making almost all the sparks in the room melt a bit; the inventor's obvious mother henning was far too adorable. Maybe this time his creations would actually like him and listen to him. They didn't have small brains, right?

"Well then, there's just one order of business left," Prime began slowly, sitting back once more.

"Our punishment?" Ratceht asked a bit hesitantly.

"No," Prime said hesitantly, getting ready to be berated by Prowl. "Can I be their guardian?"

Silence.

That was the immediate response that Prime received from the assembled group. But, silence never lasts does it.

"Prime!"

"What?!"

The outbursts of Prowl and Wheeljack were followed by a series of scared chirps from Steam Rider as the little one ducked down to hide again.

"Oh Primus," Ratchet sighed, turning away partway to rock Steam Rider gently in order to calm him. On the flip side, Jazz was doing his best to remain relatively straight faced with one servo over his mouth to hide the fact that he was laughing at the situation.

"What?" Optimus asked defensively, looking to Prowl. "I like sparklings," he said with a hint of a 'don't hurt me' whine in his vocalizer. Prowl just glared, arm falling as he lifted a servo to point at the Autobot leader, getting ready to berate him no doubt as Velocity took Wheeljack's momentary stunned state to his advantage and took a flying leap from his arms onto the desk of Optimus Prime.

"You are acting--" Once more he was cut off thanks to a sparkling created distraction, Wheeljack flailing a bit as he scrambled forward to try and scoop Velocity up.

"Oh ya' lil' trouble maker!" he scolded, making a grab for the silver mechling.

But Optimus got there first, helping the little one to his stabilizers on the desk and cooing softly at him.

"Little daredevil, hm? You shouldn't do that, Velocity," he scolded gently. "You're going to give your creators a spark attack." Velocity watched Prime's face mask move as he spoke, then looked into his optics, then back down to his massive servo. It occurred to him just how big the servo was, and he backed away, frowning and whimpering softly. Something had finally scared the little one?

"Velocity there's no reason to be scared," Wheeljack cooed, fidgeting some near the edge of the desk as he reached out to touch the sparkling's helm. "Optimus won't hurt ya'."

"He is much like a human teddy bear," the logi-bot muttered as he drifted over to stand near Jazz, giving up on trying to enforce any sort of rules for the time being.

"Mmhmm," Jazz agreed, snickering every now and then. He couldn't help it, really. Optimus trying to gush all over the little bots was hilarious enough, but Prowl's reaction was the icing on the cake. A glare was shot his way but Prowl said nothing, fuming a bit in that irritated, 'there's work that needs to be done' sort of way.

Velocity looked between Wheeljack and Optimus, then seemed to size the leader up, tilting his head this way and that and clicking softly to no one in particular. Optimus waited patiently with one servo still extended to the mechling, waiting for acceptance or rejection. Rejection seemed to be the way it was going to be, as Velocity lost interest in the large bot and looked to Ratchet's arms where Steam Rider was still nestled. He let out a curious whistle to his brother, standing on his toes and leaning this way and that to try to catch sight of him.

"I dunno what's up with him. He's usually friendly as can be," Wheeljack murmured, rubbing the back of his processor some.

Having heard the whistle, Steam Rider hesitantly poked his head up over the barrier that was the CMO's arms, visor covered optics on his brother as he quivered some, letting out a low whistle in response. Optimus chuckled, just watching the exchange between the two.

"They seem very conscious of each other," he noted.

"They act like twins," Ratceht confirmed with a nod, shifting Steam Rider so he could see his brother better. Velocity waved to the other little mech, then without warning sat down ungracefully and leaned back to stare up at Optimus upside-down, clicking to the large bot. Waving back hesitantly, Steamer chirped in alarm as Velocity disappeared from his range of view, the black mechling perking up some in an attempt to see what was going on. The entire atmosphere of the room seemed to change as Velocity pulled his stunt, Prowl muttering something about how their leader was going to melt and they should get buckets ready while Wheeljack just chuckled.

"There's the friendly lil' guy I was talkin' about."

"Well hello there," Optimus practically gushed at the little one, confirming Prowl's prediction.

Growing more and more curious now, Steam Rider started to squirm, chirping as he looked to Ratchet and pointed to the took his cue from Steam Rider very well and set the little one on the desk beside his brother.

"You're going to want back in my arms in five nanokliks, I just know it," he muttered as he stepped back just as Velocity gave the leader and upside-down wave before he righted himself and squeaked happily at his brother, throwing his arms around him and yanking him closer. Steam Rider chirped loudly, steam billowing out of his faceplate as he struggled to get away, fearful of being so close to Optimus so quickly. Breaking free, the little one scrambled away towards the edge, quivering some as he peered over at Ratchet looking ready to lift his arms and asked to be picked up before he paused.

Hesitantly he glanced back at his brother then Optimus, whimpering somewhat before plopping down rather suddenly, facing Velocity and the autobot leader but not moving any.

"...Steamer's a lil'...ah...he gets really scared around other bots if ya' couldn't tell."

"Let us hope that changes soon. There are quite a few bots around base, after all," Optimus commented, watching the steam-powered bot with soft optics.

"I'm sure the little dude will warm up in no time," Jazz shrugged. "Just gotta be patient."

"Patience is a virtue, as the humans say," Prowl commented, watching as Steam Rider ever so slowly began to scoot closer to Optimus, reaching forward with his servos and tugging himself forward like a human toddler would, the mechling using his support struts to help guide himself. He seemed to realize he was being watched because he stopped suddenly, quivering some as he seemed to shrink in on himself, cooing faintly as he traced his digits along the surface of Optimus' desk before glancing up again as Velocity clicked encouragement at him, throwing a bit smile his way.

"I had planned to introduce them to everyone once they get a lil' more use to things. They are fairly new to the world after all," the inventor mused, looking between the Autobot leader and the commanders.

"Just how new exactly, by the way?" Optimus pressed a bit, remembering that he really did need to get information on how far out of bounds his CMO and head inventor had gone.

"I...'brought them online last night' new?"

".........But how long have you been working on them?"

"...A few weeks?" Wheeljack said sheepishly, optics on Prowl and Jazz now as the black mechling started scooting himself across the desk again, trying to be as quiet as he could. Funny thing about bots with visors that Steam Rider would have to learn some day though: just because their visor wasn't pointed at you didn't mean that their optics weren't on you. Jazz was watching the going ons with an amused grin on his lip components, servos on his hips as he partially listened to the others.

"I was more concerned with when they were brought online," Optimus said dismissively. "Since you said you didn't report it since you thought it was going to be a failure, right?"

The CMO nodded quickly.

"Right. After we brought them online, we thought it would be best to give them, and ourselves, a chance to rest before they left the lab and had to encounter other bots."

Who was on to their game? Prowl was. That's who. Then again, the other two command bots most likely were as well. There was a high possibility that Optimus was probably most likely playing along mostly in part just to annoy Prowl. Very good chance.

And he was happy that it was working.

"Exactly!" Wheeljack piped up happily, fins flashing some. "We didn't want to overwhelm the lil' guys or anythin' like that!"

Scoot. Pause. Scoot. Pause.

That was Steamer's rhythm as he finally reached his brother, now within reach of Optimus as he chirped softly at Velocity, visor covered optics still on the towering bot before him. A small tilt of Jazz's head made Optimus looked down at the desk before him, and he noted how close Steam Rider was, then pretended he hadn't noticed, though a smile was very obvious on his face to the other bots in the room.

"Sneaky, hm?" Ratchet mused, looking on Steam Rider fondly.

Unaware that all the focus in the room seemed to be on him now, Steam Rider hesitantly reached forward for one final scoot, watching Optimus like a hawk as he drew closer and closer until finally his support struts bumped one of the Autobot leader's servos. Steamer froze, shoulders hunching as he waited to see what would happen, the whole thing making Wheeljack almost burst into chuckles as even Prowl looked slightly amused. Velocity turned only partway to watch his brother, finding himself laying on his back to watch the spectacle upside down again.

A soft clink of metal on metal informed Optimus that he should look down once more. There was a laugh in his optics as he openly looked down upon the mechling.

"Well hello there," he said in a gentle, greeting tone to the other. Steamer's quivering seemed to get ten times worse as Optimus spoke to him, the little sparkling staring up at the autobot leader, not sure what to do now that he had the attention.

"Steam Rider..it's alright lil' guy," Wheeljack assured softly, optics soft as he peered down at the sparkling.

Ratchet's soft spark was getting the best of him, and he was about to pluck the sparkling off the desk and pull him back into a protective embrace. But before he could, Velocity flipped himself over and crawled on servos and knee joints to sit beside his brother, resting a reassuring arm over his shoulders and cooking to him softly. Once he'd addressed his twin, Velocity's attention went back up to the large mech who might as well be a skyscraper to them, and he glared up at Optimus like he wanted to start a fight, clicking and whistling sharply.

"Woah, sorry, sorry," Optimus apologized, holding up his servos defensively to the little sparklings.. "I didn't mean to scare anyone." With Velocity close by Steam Rider seemed to calm just a bit, leaning into his twin's protective embrace as he cooed back, clinging to the other sparkling like a lifeline. When Optimus spoke though a sort of calming effect happened, the black mechling's quivering ceasing a touch as he cautiously peered up at the Autobot Leader.

"....Say something else," came the request from Prowl, who was watching the two sparklings curiously, picking up in the slight changes in Steam rider.

"Hm? Ah... I am Optimus Prime, it's a pleasure to meet you both," he said after a moment, extending a servo very slowly, and not too intrusively close to the pair in greetings. Velocity let out a small snort and kept glaring at the leader, but since Steam Rider was no longer shaking in his armor, he backed off the offensive attitude. Optimus speaking seemed to have the effect that Prowl suspected it would; Steam Rider's quivering was nothing more than a faint, faint shiver now as he watched the servo get extended, peering at it for a long moment before slowly reaching out to poke at it with his own servo.

A soft click escaped the black mechling as he realized that he was, in fact, alright after touching the Autobot Leader, Steamer looking at Velocity and chirping in a soft, excited sort of way. Velocity blinked a few times and tilted his head at his brother, then looked to the mech in question and pushed himself to his stabilizers to try to get a better look at the mech's face, ignoring his servo for a moment.

Optimus peered curiously down in return at the pair, a smile hidden behind his face mask.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured them, moving relatively slowly to move the servo in question to gently stroke Steam Rider's helm, then Velocity's. Velocity instantly melted into the touch, purring contently and completely forgetting that he'd been playing tough for his brother. Like his brother, Steam Rider melted a bit as well, cooing happily as Optimus kept talking then stroked his helm, little servos pressed against the desk as he pushed himself up slightly to lean into the touch while he still had it. Once the larger bot moved his servo away Steamer rocked back slightly, chirping softly as he leaned forward, watching Velocity get all bubbly.

"Well now we know who to ask to babysit," the inventor mused, fins flashing as he looked at Ratchet.

"He is only allowed to babysit when he has his work caught up," Prowl interjected, using this whole situation to his advantage now.

"But Prowl," Optimus whined like a child protesting their parents telling them to finish their vegetables before they could play, "Overseeing the care of the future generation _is_ part of my work!" Jazz busted into a full laughing fit at this, turning away to rest his head against a nearby wall. Even Ratchet was trying to keep his chuckling from progressing and Wheeljack's fins flashing brightly as a sign that he was more than amused.

An optic arch twitched as Prowl shot the Autobot leader a glare, trying to ignore the laughter that was coming from the other three adults in the room.

"Do not start with me, sir."

Meanwhile, on the desk, Steam Rider had finally climbed to his support struts, leaning against velocity some but at the same time he was trying to reach up to grab a hold of Optimus' face mask, steam drifting out of own face mask as he cooed faintly, standing up on the tips of his supports.

"I outrank you," Optimus continued childishly, leaning down to the sparklings could play with his face mask. This upset Velocity a bit, since he was interested in the expansive panels of glass on the leader's chest, but he adapted quickly enough to trying to yank at the protrusions of his helmet.

"Yes but someone needs to keep you in place," was the immediate reply, Prowl completely not fazed by Optimus pulling rank.

Shrinking back at first, Steamer waited until Velocity had started playing before he once more pushed himself up on the tips of his stabilizers, small digits tugging gently at Optimus' mask. He tilted his processor some, squeaking lightly before he let go, touching his own face mask before reaching up to touch Optimus' again, cooing happily.

"And when Elita comes to visit, I'll behave," he said quickly before turning his full attention back to the sparklings. "Ah yes, we both have face plates. Wheeljack as a faceplate too," he pointed out, gesturing to the inventor.

Optics narrowing, Prowl looked ready to throw something at Prime but since there were sparklings about....

Mumblegrumble.

Prime: 1. Prowl: 0.

And everyone else won for being present.

Looking over at his creator, Steam Rider squeaked and lifted a servo, digits opening in closing in a clumsy sort of wave which made Wheeljack practically start to gush.

"Hey there lil' guy," he cooed, obviously quite the proud parent. Ratchet unwittingly let out a content sigh as a let-down from his laughing, watching the sparklings fondly.

"So... Can I? Be their guardian, I mean," Prime asked, looking back up at the lab bots.

"Huh--Oh! Oh of course!" Wheeljack said as his processor caught up with what was going on, the inventor having been far too engrossed in what the sparklings were doing. "We'd be honored!"

"Couldn't think of anyone better," Ratchet added as a bit of an afterthought, trying not to glance over to see how pissed off Prowl was.

"Cool, cool. Well, Prowl and I should get back to work," jazz interrupted after a bit, giving the second in command a glance to try to get him to leave.

"............"

Without a word to anyone, the fuming second in command turned and left the room, planning his revenge on the Autobot leader no doubt.

Just wait Prime. Just wait.

"He's a lil' too tense," the inventor mused, shaking his processor. "Maybe I should get him to babysit one day."

"He'd do good," Jazz smirked before he made his exit after his superior. Optimus chuckled, shaking his head very minutely since Velocity had climbed onto his shoulder and was holding onto his helmet for support.

"If it works, do it."

Steam Rider, not to be left out now that he had warmed up to Optimus, was trying his best to get up on the Autobot leader's other shoulder, unable to accomplish this task which resulted in him whimpering softly, visor flickering a bit. A servo lifted under Steam Rider to lift him to the shoulder carefully, Optimus watching him out of the corner of his optics to make certain he didn't fall.

"Go on, climb up there," he encouraged him gently. A squeak of surprise escaped the sparkling who flailed a bit as he teetered some then paused, visor flickering as he stared at Prime before looking to his shoulder. Slowly he crawled onto it, little servo grasping at one of the protrusions on his helmet to steady himself as he clicked and chirped softly to himself, getting settled.

"You're a regular jungle gym, sir," Wheeljack said with a chuckle in his vocal processor, the inventor standing with his arms folded over his chest now.

"I try," he smiled, looking between the two, trying his best not to move too much so as not to jar them from their positions. The silver mechling was enjoying the view from his new vantage point, but after a moment he sat down, stabilizers dangling over the edge of Prime's broad shoulders, and yawned, optics flickering a bit.

"It looks like someone is getting tired," Ratchet pointed out.

"Too much excitement most likely." Moving closer, Wheeljack ran his digits over Velocity's helm, gently tipping the little one's processor up. "How 'bout we head back to the lab, huh lil' one? Ya' can visit Optimus again soon, I promise!" The silver and white mechling was more than happy to let himself fall into his creator's servos, ready or not, and curled up against whatever he could reach as soon as he was there while Steam Rider rubbed his own optics a bit before reaching out to Ratchet, cooing softly as his visor flickered. Coming around the other side, the CMO lifted his servos to collect Steam Rider, pulling him close to his spark and cooing softly to him before he caught himself, a little embarrassed.

A light chuckle escaped Optimus as soon as he felt comfortable that he could move, and he looked between the two.

"You're going to be wonderful parents. I can tell," he murmured in a rather fond manner as Wheeljack cuddled Velocity close, lifting the sparkling a bit as he leaned down to nuzzle him, optics flickering over to Optimus.

"Thank ya' sir," he murmured, glancing over at Ratchet before looking away just as quickly, making for the door. "Alright, lil' guy, time to get ya' to berth!" he said softly, keeping his focus on Ratchet as he nudged the door open and stepped out, moving slowly to wait for the CMO who wasn't far behind at all, but before they could exit, Prime's voice cut in.

"Wheeljack? Don't make anything without my permission again, please? Especially not without Ratchet's supervision."

Busted.

Wincing, shoulders hunching some, Wheeljack glanced back into the office, fins dimming.

"Of course, sir...I promise."

"Good night," Prime finished, waving to the sparklings as they departed. Ratchet had gone stiff for a moment, but it soon became clear that was the only reprimand they were going to be receiving.

"Good night, Prime," he said to the leader, shutting the door behind them. "Well... that went well," he muttered once they were out of audio range.

Wheeljack nodded, optics on Velocity again.

"Much better than I was honestly expectin'," he admitted with a weak laugh that melted into a sigh. "I really didn't know what to expect goin' in there."

"Good ol' Prime," the medbot mused, then fell silent. Things could have gone much worse. Optimus was kind, but he still could have had the sparklings taken away and relocated to established couples, since the two who claimed to be responsible for their creation were nothing more than science partners.

"I dunno what we'd do without him." Falling silent then as both the sparklings seemed to begin to drift off, Wheeljack cast a side glance at the CMO, looking as though he wanted to say something else but decided against it, just keeping pace with Ratchet as they made the hike back to the labs.

Maybe some other time...


	7. In which a new family is made

**Title:** You and Me...Plus Two?**  
Chapter:** 7/7!**  
Authors:** Spider Wolfeh and Scarlet Bruiser**  
Rating: **G**  
Series:** Transformers (Mostly G1 based)**  
Characters:** Wheeljack, Ratchet**  
Warnings:** I guess OCs would be a warning..and Slash!**  
Summary:** In which a new family is made.**  
Author's Notes:**  
And, because you guys are all so awesome, the final chapter of "You and Me...Plus Two?"! Thank you all so much for reading the story and all of the comments have just made it completely and totally worthwhile in the long run.

But this is far from the end. ;3 We're planning on turning this into an entire series of fics and, to start it off, we want to know what you guys want to see. Is there a particular bot or bots you want to see interact with the sparklings? Let us know and we'll deliver!

Comments and critique are love! And we hope you enjoy!

-

Shutting the door to the room off his lab, Wheeljack leaned back against it a bit and let out a quiet sigh. The sparklings had protested sleep like no tomorrow but the inventor had finally gotten them to calm down, chirping and cooing at them until they both finally drifted off.

Optics flickering back online he glanced over to where he knew Ratchet was waiting, as patient as he always was when it came to the inventor, Wheeljack's frame quivering slightly.

Time for that talk it seemed.

"...Ratch' I...I'm sorry 'bout all of this, I really am."

Having been inspecting some random, unfinished products about the lab to occupy his time while Wheeljack put the sparklings to berth, the CMO looked up when he was addressed. His expression was neutral as he let the inventor speak first before he lifted a servo and waved it dismissively.

"I'm not."

Should have expected an answer like that.

"Don't, Ratch'. Don't just play it off like it's nothin'. I messed up, bigger than usual," he murmured, glancing back at the door as his fins dulled to a pale black color. "I shoulda talked to ya' first."

"Yes, you did. And yes, you really, really should have. I'm not going to pretend I'm not mad about the invasion of my spark you must have made when you took a sample from me to make Velocity," he said almost casually, though there was a bite in the undertone. "But... You made two beautiful sparklings, and I'd be lying if I said they hadn't wormed their way deep into my spark already."

Wheeljack had flinched a bit, picking up instantly on the tone his friend was using and it make him want to go hide somewhere. The inventor had a bad habit of not thinking before he acted and, well, this was a perfect example. The second part, though, made him glance up once more.

"Steamer's taken quite a likin' to ya'. I don't think you're gonna be able to get rid of him," he mused, a faint chuckle lingering in the back of his vocal processor, making the CMO's poker faced expression crack into a fond smile at the mention of the smaller sparkling.

"I don't think I want to," came the gentle reply. "You did a great job, Jack." Head fins flashed a bit, just a tiny bit, but there was color there all the same as the inventor perked some, though, at some point, he had begun to wring his servos nervously.

"Thanks...that means a lot Ratch', it really does."

"So... I guess there's still the subject of raising them," Ratchet said thoughtfully, as though he were hinting at something.

"Well, it'll take some gettin' used to but I was already plannin' on readjustin' my schedule to center around them. It'll mean less lab time for awhile but ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do!"

"So you do some adjusting, I'll do some adjusting, and together we won't have to sarafice much," Ratchet shrugged, pushing himself off the lab table he'd been leaning on and taking a few steps towards the inventor. Wheeljack blinked, realizing then what Ratchet had been getting at all along.

"Ratch' ya' don't have to do that! I mean, you're always so busy. I couldn't possibly ask ya' to give up time," he said with a shake of his processor, fins dulling again as he twisted his servos together then shrugged some. "Ya' have your own stuff to do."

"And you have yours. But it takes two parents to raise a sparkling most of the time, and we have two on our servos," he pointed out. "You can't do this alone, and I don't intend to make or let you."

Stubborn CMO was stubborn, and Wheeljack knew better than to argue.

"...Alright, but if push comes to shove, I'm sacrificin' my schedule so ya' don't have to give up yours alright?" The words 'You're more useful to the others anyway' went unspoken, but they were lingering there nonetheless and he knew, however, that if he'd dared to speak them, he'd have had a flying wrench to deal with.

"Of course, there's always the subject of how we want to raise them," he continued nonchalantly. "And the problem of what they're going to ask when they get older."

The inventor blinked.

"What do ya' mean?"

"I imagine they'd ask why their parents weren't at least mated, let alone bonded."

Cue embarrassment here.

His fins flashing brightly, Wheeljack jerked some, optics widening as he stuttered a bit before actually finding his voice.

"Well--ah--I mean, we'll cross that bridge when we get there! It's kinda like the Dynabots in a sense! I mean, we dealt with them right?" he got out, chuckling nervously as he waved a servo some.

"There's a difference with bots created with small minds that required no parenting and bots created at the elementary stages that are going to need to be raised by a pair," Ratchet said flatly. "Besides, it could be a fairly easy issue to deal with if the issue were already solved, right?"

The inventor froze, unable to say anything for a few kliks as he just stared at the CMO.

"Wha--What did ya' say?"

Give it a moment for dramatic effect...

"I was suggesting we preempt the situation by becoming bond mates," Ratchet continued, his voice almost a purr as he took a few more steps to close the space between himself and his partner.

He was dreaming, or something like that. Hallucinating! That was it! That was exactly what was going on!

The inventor let out a weak sort of laugh, a confused sound as he stared at Ratchet like the CMO had grown another processor or something, Wheeljack lifting a servo to rub at his own some.

"I think I musta inhaled somethin' through my vents when I was workin' earlier. I coulda sworn I just heard ya' say that ya' wanted to become bond mates."

"You used toxic substances in the creation of the sparklings?" Ratchet asked, shoulders slumping a bit as his climax was ruined by Wheeljack's inability to play along.

"Not that, ya' silly bot! I was workin' with some C-4 earlier and......" Wheeljack trailed off, noticing the way Ratchet's shoulders sagged, an almost sad looking crossing the CMO's faceplate.

...Oh Primus.

"Ya' weren't--That wasn't--that was real wasn't it?" Blue optics rolled in their sockets as the med bot let a small sigh out through his vents.

"Yes, Jack, that was real."

Falling silent, the inventor seemed to be trying to make sense of everything, optics never leaving Ratchet as he went over it all in his processor, putting the pieces of the scene together slowly.

"...Ya'...really mean that?" he finally said in a small voice, fins flickering faintly.

"Did you really mean it when you said I was the only bot you'd ever want to have a sparkling with?" A question was shot right back at him, shoulders squaring off a bit again as he leaned just a touch closer. One servo boldly lifted to rest on Wheeljack's shoulder, though the touch was hesitant and a bit awkward. Time for love and affection was scarce in war, and Ratchet was feeling a little rusty and lacked confidence. But something told him Wheeljack, when it finally got through his dense processor, would be fine with it.

"..Of course I did, Ratch'," he admitted, clearing his vocal processor as it tried to seize up on him. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." The touch made him shiver slightly, his own servos twitching as if he wanted to lift them but wasn't quite sure if he should or not. There was a softness in his optics now though, a longing sort of look as he shifted closer to the CMO, fins flashing again. "...I never thought ya'd even look my way..in _that_ way I mean."

"And I always thought you weren't interested in a mate," Ratchet frowned slightly for only a nanoklik. His frown faded into a questioning look as the servo on Wheeljack's shoulder lifted to cup the side of his face, and his other servo found its way around to the inventor's back. "So... be my mate?"

It still felt surreal, oh so very surreal, but Wheeljack wasn't going to question it. He had wanted it for too long to question it now.

"Of course I will, Ratch'," he said softly, fins brightening a touch as his optics flickered happily. "I can't think of anythin' I'd want more."

A bright smile lit up the medbot's face, and he leaned in to plant a kiss on the inventor's facemask while resting their foreheads together, an amused look flickering over his faceplate as Wheeljack practically melted, the inventor's servos coming up to rest on the CMO's shoulders for support.

Ratchet's optics dimmed contently.

"What a strange family we'll make..."

"The stranger the better if ya' ask me, Ratch'!" he said happily though his voice was still soft, processor tilting a bit. "It'll make things more interestin'." Ratchet couldn't help but roll his optics again.

"You would say that," came his murmured response.

And then something occurred to him.

"The stranger the better... Velocity seems a bit too... average. What else did you try to accomplish with him?"

"Nothin', at least, nothin' that will play any role right now. Promise!" he chirped in response, obviously hiding something but not about to tell which made the other mech pull back and give him a stern glare.

"Jack..."

Flashing the CMO his version of a grin, the inventor slipped past Ratchet, snagging his servo as he went and tugging him towards the lab tables.

"It's gonna be amazin', Ratch'! Trust me! He's gonna be a bot amongst bots when he gets older!"

"Oh Primus, what did you do?" Ratchet pressed as he followed after his new mate- the thought made his spark jump a tad- glaring at the back of his head in exasperation. Glancing back at the CMO, Wheeljack's fins flashed brightly, optics narrowing in excitement.

"What do ya' know 'bout time travelin', Ratch'?"


End file.
